Star Wars Returns to Disney+ With First ‘The Acolyte’ Trailer

Star Wars has become a TV fixture on Disney+ and as a result the franchise has lost a little bit of its luster, as the audience has started to take it for granted. It probably doesn’t help that most of these television series are set in the same time period and feature one group of characters who cross between the shows. The plus side of this sort of storytelling is it rewards fanatical viewers who watch everything. The down side is everything starts to fell the same.

The next Star Wars TV series, The Acolyte, looks different. It’s set decades before the main Star Wars storyline during the “High Republic” era, and features a totally new cast of characters. The central figures, at least according to this show’s first trailer, are played by Amandla Stenberg, Lee Jung-jae, and Carrie-Anne Moss.

The trailer suggests the show is a mix of mystery and action. It also looks like a much darker show (I mean visually) than a lot of Disney+ Star Wars. Take a look at the trailer below:

In an interview with StarWars.com, The Acolyte creator Leslye Headland said she was interested in making a series about a time when “the Jedi were at the height of their power — and I don't mean The Phantom Menace, because at that point, there's a Sith Lord in the Senate that they're not picking up on.” The article also described the show as “a love letter to some of Headland’s favorite martial arts sagas and samurai films, like Come Drink with Me and Yojimbo, with a fighting style crafted after wushu.”

Disney also released a new poster for the film as well:

Lucasfilm Ltd.

Here is the new Star Wars series’ official synopsis:

In “Star Wars: The Acolyte,” an investigation into a shocking crime spree pits a respected Jedi Master (Lee Jung-jae) against a dangerous warrior from his past (Amandla Stenberg). As more clues emerge, they travel down a dark path where sinister forces reveal all is not what it seems….

Leslye Headland created the series, based on Star Wars by George Lucas, and serves as an executive producer along with Kathleen Kennedy, Simon Emanuel, Jeff F. King and Jason Micallef. Star Wars: The Acolyte will premiere on Disney+ on June 4. Two episodes will premiere on that day. Here are some additional images from the new show...

Lucasfilm Ltd.