‘The Acolyte’ Casts Jodie Turner-Smith, the Second Actor Revealed for the Upcoming Disney Plus ‘Star Wars’ Series
Jodie Turner-Smith (Queen and Slim, Without Remorse) has reportedly been cast in The Acolyte, the first live-action Star Wars work set before the events of the Skywalker Saga.
Deadline has revealed that Jodie Turner-Smith has become the second actor officially cast in The Acolyte, following the casting of Amandla Stenberg (The Hate U Give, Bodies Bodies Bodies) as the show’s lead. Representatives for Lucasfilm and Turner-Smith declined to comment. The series is set to be written and showrun by Leslye Headland, best known for her work on the Netflix series Russian Doll.
Like with most new Star Wars projects, very little is known about this series, other than it taking place in the waning days of the High Republic and that it precedes the events that will lead to the Skywalker Saga. It is said that the series, described as a “mystery thriller” by Lucasfilm, will have an emphasis on the Dark Side of the Force and possibly the Sith, who have largely been absent from the Star Wars: The High Republic multimedia narrative thus far.
With Disney’s D23 convention just around the corner, it seems likely we will get additional updates on this project soon, which was not featured at Star Wars Celebration Anaheim 2022 at all. Lucasfilm is set to share a live-action panel alongside Marvel Studios, where updates on existing projects will be revealed to convention attendees, and it is believed new projects will be revealed. Unfortunately, the panel will not be live-streamed, though other panels will have content streamed to people who cannot attend.
Star Wars: The Acolyte is set to begin filming this October (with a reported target to wrap in April) and is expected to arrive sometime in 2023. Sets were recently spotted in the United Kingdom, with many believing they are tied to this new series.
Grant has been a fan of Star Wars for as long as he can remember, having seen every movie on the big screen. When he’s not hard at work with his college studies, he keeps himself busy by reporting on all kinds of Star Wars news for SWNN and general movie news on the sister site, Movie News Net. He served as a frequent commentator on SWNN’s The Resistance Broadcast.
