Disney have finally dropped a release date for their most mysterious Star Wars project yet—The Acolyte. A poster for the series was released online on 18 March which not only revealed the release date to be 4 June this year, but also presented a striking image of a lightsaber splattered in blood.
Little is known about the series, though a brief synopsis has been released. Set in the High Republic era a century before the events of The Phantom Menace (1999), The Acolyte follows two Jedi uncovering a sinister plot shrouded in the dark side of the force.
The cast includes Squid Game star Lee Jung-jae as the Jedi master, and The Hunger Games breakout star Amandla Stenberg as a former padawan. It even features basketball player-turned-actor Joonas Suotamo playing a Wookie Jedi; having previously portrayed Chewbacca in Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018) and the Star Wars sequel films.
The concept certainly sounds intriguing, as it explores an era of Star Wars never seen on screen, and may even provide clues to Palpatine’s training and rise to power. The poster alone sets the tone for a much grittier, mature Star Wars story than ever before. The only other time blood has been portrayed so graphically in a Star Wars project was in 2015’s The Force Awakens, when a First Order Stormtrooper leaves a bloody hand print on Finn’s helmet. Even this small detail revealed how gritty Star Wars battles can be, immediately shying away from the family-friendly nature general audiences know Star Wars to have.
Covered most recently in a series of books, the High Republic era of Star Wars is a time when the Jedi order were at the height of their power. It was a time of peace and Jedi temples were abundant in an increasingly expanding galaxy. If we’re lucky we may even see a younger version of everyone’s favourite backwards-talking Jedi, Yoda, all before he reached Grand Master status.
The first trailer for The Acolyte has just dropped, but if the poster is anything to go on, it seems we’re about to explore the dark side like never before.
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