Not much is known about theupcoming Disney Plus seriesStar Wars: The Acolyte, and apparently that sentiment extends to some of the folks working on it as well. Showrunner Leslye Headland was already a totally unorthodox choice to helm aStar Warsseries, but according to her, that might be exactly what the franchise needs.
Headland is perhaps best known as co-creator of the acclaimed Netflix seriesRussian Doll, along with some rather adult-oriented comedies likeBacheloretteandSleeping With Other People. So her position as showrunner for a newStar Warsshow set inthe largely unexplored High Republic erawas inspired, to say the least. Inspired by what? Hard to say at this point. But she specifically elected to take a decidedly unconventional approach to the whole project, including who she hired to write the series.
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“Mostly what I looked for were people that I felt could execute a great script, number one,” Headland said when discussing her hiring process with The AV Club. Not only was writing ability her focus, but she also aimed for a more diverse writing room in terms of how the team connects with theStar Warsfranchise. “There were people like myself that were like later-in-life[Dave] Filoni acolytes. I literally had one writer that was like, ‘I have never seen any of them. I’ve never seen anyStar Warsmedia.’ And she’s texting me before we started the room, she’s like, ‘Luke and Leia are brother and sister, what the…?’'”
Headland explained that this sort of dynamic and relationship to the series as a whole is important in order to provide the best script and story they can create. The idea was that hardcoreStar Warsfans are more likely to have a strict idea in their heads of what it means to beStar Wars, making them less likely to think outside the box and approve any ideas that might stray even a small bit outside that preconceived notion. Meanwhile, a team with less of a personal connection doesn’t share that limitation, and is more open to offering new ideas while also pointing out if a concept doesn’t work for someone who isn’t laser focused on the source material.
It’s not difficult to see why such an approach would be beneficial to the franchise as a whole. After all, Rian Johnson’s extremely unique take on the material withThe Last Jediprovided some of the best storytelling in the series to date. Its effect was diminished quite a bit by the disjointed feel of the sequel trilogy in general, but if his methods were applied to an entire trilogy or even a standalone film, it could have takenStar Warsto places many could have never imagined.
So considering how the entirety ofStar Wars: The Acolytewill presumably feature the same writing and production teams, odds are it will be a far more cohesive experience. WhereThe Last Jedifloundered due to being a sole diamond in the chaotic rough,The Acolytemay very well glow as a shining beacon of unexplored possibilities.
Star Wars: The Acolytecurrently has no release date.
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