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Time will tell whether The Acolyte, the eight-episode mystery-thriller TV series scheduled to arrive on the Disney+ platform sometime in 2024, will go down in history as an honored addition to Star Wars mythology or merely a well-intentioned failure. However, one thing is certain even at this early date: The show will take fans to places they’ve never before seen in a live-action production.
The Acolyte is set toward the end of the High Republic era, approximately 100 years before the events of Star Wars: The Phantom Menace. For fans, this is a shadowy phase in canon history that seems quite remote—but that is about to change.
Compared to the storm and stress of the Clone Wars, the historical records have little to say about the era of the High Republic. It was, in general, a time of peace, with the Jedi secure in their role as protectors of the universe and proponents of the light side of the Force, while the Sith were all but powerless. Exactly how this ideal state of affairs came to an end is the focus of The Acolyte.
As The Acolyte is based in a time period that has not been explored before (at least on TV), the show will center on various personages who will be unfamiliar to fans. Several new Jedi names are about to be added to the annals of history. That is certainly sufficient cause for excitement, which is why much of the fan community is eager to learn more about these fresh faces. But at this stage, there is more mystery than clarity surrounding The Acolyte, despite some tantalizing media “leaks.”
What is known for certain about The Acolyte is that the cast is stacked with dazzling names. Exploring the announced cast may provide clues as to the events that may transpire in the new show; keep reading for a deeper dive into the acting talent attached to The Acolyte.
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Although a number of prominent names appear among the credits of The Acolyte, the nature of their roles is, for the most part, still obscure. Some cast members are confirmed to play members of the Jedi Order in some capacity; others are definitely cast in non-Jedi roles. For a few, it’s not clear whether they are supposed to be Jedi or not.
With that said, here’s a closer look at the cast of The Acolyte:
Amandla Stenberg
Amandla, a Hunger Games alumna and avowed Star Wars fanatic, has been cast as the series lead. She's playing a former Padawan—apparently having become disillusioned with the Jedi Order—who reunites with her Jedi Master to investigate some mysterious goings-on in the galaxy, which apparently will lead them to a very troubling discovery. Amandla has described the cast of The Acolyte as “an assemblage of characters who are dealing with their own morality within the context of this particular point in society. And so my character is someone who is really struggling with those things.”
Lee Jung-jae
Familiar to Western audiences for his Emmy Award-winning role in Squid Game, Lee Jung-jae will play the Jedi Master who is teaming up with his former Padawan. This will be his first non-Korean production. Early pictures from The Acolyte set showed Lee wearing a Jedi robe amidst a forest-like setting. The leaked trailer placed him at the Jedi Temple, apparently teaching Padawans about the ways of the Force. There is little else known about Lee’s role in the show (which is a common refrain with Acolyte characters at this point in time).
Manny Jacinto
Manny has had several notable credits on TV, including The Good Place; his role on The Acolyte may well continue his winning streak. The actor has said, however, that he will not be playing a Jedi in the new series, nor will he be wielding a lightsaber. So what is he doing in The Acolyte? According to Manny, his character is “just a regular guy, trying to have a good time, who gets swept up into the High Republic world and the Jedi, whether he likes it or not.”
Jodie Turner-Smith
UK-born Jodie, who recently appeared in the Netflix hit Murder Mystery 2, will be playing a character described as a “powerful” Force-wielding individual who holds a leadership role of some kind. Her character is neither Jedi nor Sith. Jodie has provided a few additional tidbits about her role, revealing that her character does not utilize a lightsaber and will share no scenes with series lead Amandla Stenberg.
Dafne Keen
Familiar to millions for her role in 2017’s Logan, Dafne will be playing a prosthetics-laden half-human/half-alien character that has been described as “David Bowie meets Star Wars.” An onset photo posted on X/Twitter suggests that this characterization is accurate. Apart from that, little else is known about Dafne’s role, except that apparently she’s going to be wielding a lightsaber in some capacity.
Rebecca Henderson
Fans of the ongoing Star Wars: The High Republic multimedia project should be pleased to learn that Rebecca Henderson will be bringing Jedi Knight Vernestra Rwoh to the small screen. This will mark Vernestra’s leap from the printed page—she was introduced as a precocious teenage Jedi in the 2021 novel The High Republic: A Test of Courage—to the live-action world. It’s not clear what Vernestra will be doing in The Acolyte, although it seems certain that she’ll be a Jedi. Rebecca's past TV credits include Westworld and Russian Doll.
Charlie Barnett
Charlie will be playing a Jedi. Not much is known about his role beyond that, but apparently he’ll be using a yellow lightsaber—an uncommon color that, in Legends, has been long associated with the Jedi Sentinel. More recently, a yellow lightsaber was seen in the hands of Rey Skywalker at the conclusion of The Rise of Skywalker. Make of that what you will. Like Acolyte co-star Rebecca Henderson, Charlie can also be seen on the TV series Russian Doll.
Carrie-Anne Moss
Famed for her role as Trinity in the Matrix series, Carrie-Anne Moss will be playing a Jedi in The Acolyte. The teaser trailer for the new series provides a snippet of a fight scene between her and Amandla Stenberg in a bar-like setting.
Dean-Charles Chapman
Dean-Charles is familiar to many for his role on Game of Thrones, and he’ll be making his debut in the Star Wars universe as a Jedi. A set photo posted on X/Twitter shows him in a Jedi robe and sporting a braid (which may indicate that he’s a Padawan).
Joonas Suotamo
A native of Finland, Joonas will be portraying the Wookie Jedi Kelnacca in the new series. Fans should recognize Joonas' name (as well as his enormous height: he’s 6’11”), as he previously played Chewbacca in the third trilogy as well as Solo: A Star Wars Story.
There are a few other important cast members who should be mentioned. Abigail Thorn is set to become the first trans actress in the Star Wars universe; she’ll be playing a character named Ensign Eurus. Other notable names in the announced cast include Margarita Levieva, Amy Tsang, and James Henri-Thomas, whose exact roles are not publicly known at the present time.
While waiting for The Acolyte to hit the air, why not get a lightsaber that you can call your very own? Ultrasabers has a huge inventory of lightsabers that are suitable for dueling, solo performance, or just display at home. For instance, you can purchase a yellow lightsaber much like the one Charlie Barnett will reportedly be wielding on the new show. A vast range of lightsaber colors, audio effects, and hilt designs are available for your consideration.
