‘The Acolyte’ Revival Talk Intensifies After Disney’s Latest ‘Star Wars’ Misfire

The Acolyte may not be gone forever.

Since acquiring Lucasfilm in 2012, Disney has expanded Star Wars across movies and streaming, producing everything from blockbuster theatrical releases to Disney+ originals that have reshaped the franchise’s future.

But not every project has landed with audiences in the same way.

One of the most divisive examples arrived in 2024. Set during the High Republic era, roughly a century before the events of Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999), The Acolyte followed former Padawan Osha (Amandla Stenberg) and Jedi Master Sol (Lee Jung-jae) as a murder investigation uncovered a growing Sith presence.

The series quickly became one of Lucasfilm’s most talked-about productions.

Supporters praised its willingness to explore a largely untouched period of Star Wars history. Others criticized story decisions and accused the series of conflicting with established lore.

The conversation surrounding the show often extended far beyond what appeared on screen.

Review-bombing campaigns, social media arguments, and intense online scrutiny followed the series throughout its run. Despite a strong debut, viewership reportedly declined as the season progressed.

Lucasfilm ultimately canceled the series in August 2024 after one season.

Reports at the time suggested that the show’s estimated $230 million budget made renewal difficult to justify, particularly given its audience numbers.

Interest in the Series Is Growing Again

Nearly two years after its cancellation, The Acolyte is attracting renewed attention.

Following the release of Maul: Shadow Lord, the series recently re-entered Disney+’s streaming charts, fueling fresh discussion about whether the story could eventually continue in some form.

That renewed interest has not gone unnoticed by showrunner Leslye Headland.

“I would still want to do it! Absolutely,” she told Empire. “As more people discover it, I think people may want to see some form of the story come back.”

Headland also revealed that several storylines remained unexplored when production ended.

“We did have a lot of stuff that we wanted to explore,” she said, “including tying in lore to the sequels. Getting into who exactly Manny’s character is, his connection with [Jedi Master] Vernestra, his connection with Plagueis, and then his connection with other sequel-established things.”

That revelation is likely to interest fans who spent months theorizing about Qimir, also known as The Stranger, played by Manny Jacinto.

Although the first season never directly connected itself to the sequel trilogy, eagle-eyed viewers noticed a familiar musical cue.

In Episode 5, Kylo Ren’s theme briefly plays as Qimir heals Osha. Headland later confirmed that the inclusion was intentional and designed to hint at a larger connection between Qimir and future dark-side figures, potentially including the Knights of Ren.

Headland also argued that opinions surrounding Star Wars projects often evolve over time.

“The weather changes with Star Wars,” she said. “There was a real negative reaction to [the Prequels], especially from a particular generation. And 25 years later, Hayden [Christensen] is at [Star Wars] Celebration.”

Disney Faces New Questions About the ‘Star Wars’ Franchise’s Future

The growing conversation around The Acolyte comes at an interesting moment for Lucasfilm.

Disney recently returned Star Wars to theaters with The Mandalorian and Grogu, the franchise’s first theatrical release since Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019).

The film received mixed reviews and has earned more than $254 million worldwide.

Although that figure exceeds its reported production budget, it remains far below the performance once expected from a Star Wars theatrical release.

Its box office results have also sparked questions about the future of the interconnected MandoVerse storyline.

At present, the only confirmed MandoVerse continuation is Season 2 of Ahsoka, which is not expected to arrive until 2027 following a recent delay.

Against that backdrop, discussion surrounding alternative Star Wars projects has intensified, including renewed interest in The Acolyte.

Several cast members have also expressed enthusiasm about returning.

Speaking on Instagram Stories following the cancellation, Stenberg reflected on the reaction to the series.

“It’s not lost on me, the way that these events have unfolded is also due to the hyper-divisiveness of the time that we live in,” she said (via The Hollywood Reporter). “That is driven, I would say, at this point, by echo chambers of thought and algorithms that reinforce our biases.”

“And I think that applies to everybody, but I think that in a particular sect of people, it manifests as a lot of fear for what is changing, a lot of hatred for anything that is other.”

Jacinto has similarly indicated that he would gladly revisit the character.

The actor previously described Qimir as the “role of a lifetime” to TV Insider, and said he would “love to run it back” if given the opportunity.

For now, Season 2 of The Acolyte remains unconfirmed.

Do you think Lucasfilm should make Season 2 of The Acolyte?