The Acolytethe most recent production of the universe Star Warswill not be renewed and will not have a second season, according to specialized media in the US. The eight episodes of the series, which featured the performance of the Spanish Dafne Keen, were broadcast from June to July of this year. The first story of Jedi and siths created by a woman, Leslye Headland, joins the last two from Lucasfilm —Obi-Wan and Boba Fett— who did not make it past the first season.
The Acolyte It was set in a time before George Lucas’ original trilogy, in the era of the High Republic, with the jedi at the height of his power and the sith emerging from the shadows. The first episode had 4.8 million views and it was positioned as the best premiere of this year on the Disney+ platform. The number rose to 11.1 million after five days of broadcast. The reviews, for the most part, were also positive. However, the series began to deflate in its third week and had the least-watched finale of a series of Star Wars, According to Deadline.
As with the series starring Jedi Master Obi-Wan and mercenary Boba Fett, Disney+ demands high audience ratings to launch new seasons that cost more than 100 million euros. This has happened, for example, with The Mandalorianthe first of the series of Star Wars Since Lucasfilm ventured into the television format, and had already written a fourth season that has been transformed into a feature film for theaters, The Mandalorian & Groguscheduled for 2026. It will be the first film in the franchise since 2019. Ahsokathe story of Anakin Skywalker’s apprentice, will have a second batch of episodes between late 2025 and early 2026. Before that, on December 3, the series will arrive on the platform Star Wars: Lost Crewstarring Jude Law, as well as the second season of Andorstarring Diego Luna, which in 2022 was nominated for eight Emmy Awards (including best drama series).
This latest cancellation joins a series of blunders for the production company Lucasfilm, which also experienced the abrupt end of the series of Willowwhich is no longer even available on Disney+, and saw the latest Indiana Jones installment become one of the biggest financial failures of 2023.
In several interviews, Headland said she had pitched her ideas for a second season, sharing her hopes for renewal. The creator earned criticism from some fans of Star Wars for including sexual and racial diversity in his story. “If you get involved in launching messages of racism, intolerance or hate speech on the internet, I don’t consider you a fan of Star Wars“She told EL PAÍS when she visited Madrid in June. “Mobile phones create a lack of empathy and disconnection. We see so much content about so many problems in the world that we forget there is someone behind it,” Dafne Keen responded to fans who called the series The Wokelyte. “Does this episode destroy Star Wars“?” was the title of a YouTube video with more than 500,000 views. “This has gone too far,” said American right-winger Ben Shapiro. But for Headland, it is a personal journey: “I don’t want all of us fans to be judged by that kind of audience.” Following the cancellation, the owner of the social network X, Elon Musk, has also applauded the end of the Lucasfilm series.
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