The Acolyte, Disney+’s newest Star Wars series, made an impressive debut with 4.8 million views on its first day. This premiere marks the streamer’s biggest series launch of 2024.
To put this into perspective, Disney reported that it took five days for Ahsoka to reach 14 million views, averaging 2.8 million per day. In contrast, The Acolyte
launched considerably stronger.
Variety critic Alison Herman compared The Acolyte to both Andor and The Last Jedi for its bold approach to established lore. Her review highlighted the series’ action-packed scenes, mentioning it is propelled by plentiful action, much of it hand-to-hand combat heavily inflected with martial arts. But the action itself is rooted in conflict with stakes both large and small for characters we quickly come to care about.
The storyline of The Acolyte follows an investigation into a shocking crime spree, pitting respected Jedi Master Sol (played by Lee Jung-jae) against a dangerous warrior from his past, portrayed by Amandla Stenberg.
The cast also includes notable names like Manny Jacinto, Dafne Keen, Charlie Barnett, Jodie Turner-Smith, Rebecca Henderson, Dean-Charles Chapman, Joonas Suotamo, and Carrie-Anne Moss. Each actor contributes to a diverse array of characters in this expansive universe.
The series is created by Leslye Headland, known for her work on Russian Doll and a lifelong Star Wars fan. Headland serves as showrunner and executive producer alongside Kathleen Kennedy and a team including Simon Emanuel, Jeff F. King, and Jason Micallef.
Headland’s involvement assures fans of the series’ deep connection to Star Wars lore. As she noted in an interview with TheWrap: This is arguably the gayest Star Wars by a considerable margin…
This statement positions The Acolyte as both groundbreaking and inclusive within the Star Wars meta-narrative.
Thematically rich and visually arresting, The Acolyte promises to dive deep into the High Republic era, offering textured narratives combined with familiar elements such as striking martial arts and lightsaber fights.
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