Star Wars: The Acolyteannounced that actors Dafne Keen (His Dark Materials), Rebecca Henderson (Russian Doll), and Carrie-Anne Moss (The Matrix) will be among a bevy of genre-savvy performers set to make waves in the Disney Plus series.
Officially announced in December 2020,Star Wars: The Acolytewill be set during the High Republic Era, well before the mainlineStar Warsfilms and shows. Little else is known about the project, though fans now have a better sense of who will help bring the show to life.
Related:Star Wars: The Acolyte – What We Know So Far
The cast of the 8-episode series, which began filming the day before Halloween of this year, will see the performers portraying the High Republic characters use theVolume technology developed forThe Mandalorian, Disney’s biggest cash cow in the current crop of series. Previous announcements sawSquid Gamelead Lee Jung-Jae joining the cast, as well asThe Good Placestar (and megafan of Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback, Blake Bortles) Manny Jacinto. The ensemble cast will be led by the Acolyte themself, Amandla Stenberg (The Hunger Games).
Moss joins the series fresh off a fourthMatrixfilm and Dafne Keen is the lead in the HBO version of Philip Pullman’sHis Dark Materialsbooks. For Rebecca Henderson, fromRussian Doll, it will feel a bit like Old Home Week since herRussian Dollco-star Charlie Barnetthad been previously announced. Henderson and the rest of the cast will be working withRussian Dollco-creator Leslye Headland, who developedThe Acolyteas a series.
It’s the earliest series in theStar Wars timeline, reaching back a century beforeThe Phantom Menacereintroduced the galaxyto the rising threat of the Sith in the form of Sheev Palpatine. Stenberg will play a Sith acolyte in an era when, after the Jedi and Sith wars, the Sith are truly supposed to be a thing of the past. Presumably,The Acolytewill show how such an insidious group could survive in what’s supposed to be a shining era for the galaxy to the point where they eventually rule the entire thing.
StarWars: The Acolyteis expected to premiere on Disney Plus in late 2023 or early 2024.
