‘The Acolyte’ Will Feature Vernestra Rwoh’s Lightwhip in Live-Action, Creator Leslye Headland Seeks to Honor What’s Come Before
In the latest issue of Total Film Magazine, cast members and series creator Leslye Headland provided more details about the upcoming show The Acolyte. Fans of the High Republic era will be happy to hear that Vernestra Rwoh’s iconic lightwhip will be making its debut in live-action. Fans will also be happy to hear that Leslye Headland will be honoring much of what’s come before and will pull from unexpected sources.
Vernestra Rwoh is a fan-favorite character in the High Republic books and comics. She became one of the youngest Jedi Knights for her time. She even has a unique lightsaber, a lightwhip. Rebecca Henderson will portray the character in The Acolyte, but this version is not the same as the one seen before. Henderson explains this is a much older individual, though her lightwhip will still be with her:
“I don’t want to use the word ‘badass’, but Vernestra is such a badass. She’s a revered Jedi Master. The series is set about 100 years on from when we’ve seen Vernestra [in other High Republic media], so she’s certainly an elder, who thinks she’s seen it all …
Vernestra’s lightsaber is purple, and she was able to alter it as a 16-year-old and turn it into a lightwhip.”
Series creator Leslye Headland also had some information to share. She states that she looked to George Lucas and the original trilogy as inspiration for crafting the show. But she also states there are a lot of other references and nods to all parts of the Star Wars saga, including the Expanded Universe:
“[Cinematographer] Chris [Teague] and I talked a lot about honoring George Lucas’ camera moves. I would say the original trilogy became our touchpoint for how to craft the world, while the Episode I-ness of the show is a bit more thematic …
It’s a show packed with everything I wanted to explore: I wanted EU [Expanded Universe] stuff in there, references to the original trilogy, The Phantom Menace, the Disney sequels… it’s absolutely packed. Because you never know, you may not get the chance again.”
Finally, Headland also explained how The Acolyte is similar to a mystery story. She compares it to another of her previous works, Russian Doll, and explains how there’s more that’s constantly unveiled:
“It’s similar to Russian Doll, which was really about giving the audience information episode by episode, this spiral of storytelling …
This is a much larger landscape, but it similarly tackles the idea of ‘your eyes can deceive you’. You’re going to think the show is one thing, but then it’s going to gearshift into something else, and then do it again.”
With The Acolyte premiering in June, fans can expect more information to come out regarding the show. Just recently, series star Amandla Stenberg also talked about how the show is similar to the prequels thematically. New images have also been released via Empire Magazine, showcasing more characters.
Born and raised in Hawaii, Jay Goodearl runs the YouTube Gaming channel “Good Games, Dude” His channel aims to open up video games to beginners and immediate players and help them understand what makes games the art form that it is.
