The Acolyte's cast is excited to show off their series' epic hand-to-hand and lightsaber choreography next year.
Appearing on Entertainment Weekly's Dagobah Dispatch podcast pre-SAG-AFTRA strike, actors Dafne Keen, Charlie Barnett, and Manny Jacinto revealed what fans should expect from The Acolyte in its High Republic-era action department. One notable source of inspiration, Jacinto revealed, was Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace's beloved Darth Maul lightsaber duel, with Barnett adding, "I will say too — not to shade' but we have a lot more tangible physical moves than I saw in that fight. As badass as it is, there's a lot more grounded work that goes into our stunt training and our stunt performances."
Barnett also praised The Acolyte's stunt team for their behind the scene contributions, stating, "Doing so much without cables, without CGI, without a lot of effects — it makes the fight seem so much more visceral. Truly. I mean, I know I've been hit on the head a couple times." Keen concurred, teasing more physical brawls between this new assortment of Jedi characters. "I don't know if I'm allowed to say this, but I will just say it. There's a lack of guns, which personally as someone who loves fighting and stunts and stuff, I love," she revealed. "Because it gives you that body-to-body choreography — that dance feeling. It actually looks like a real fight as opposed to just I point and I shoot, which is kind of an easy cop out in a way. We get a lot of that body-to-body."
Star Wars' High Republic Is Coming to Live-Action
A trailer for The Acolyte debuted earlier this year at Star Wars Celebration, previewing a handful of wuxia-style fights involving Carrie-Anne Moss and a masked assailant. According to showrunner Leslye Headland, this series will feature the most live-action Jedi to date, while also revealing how the Sith covertly infiltrated the Galactic Republic pre-Phantom Menace. Additionally, these Jedi characters will make up a diverse array of species, including Wookiee Jedi Kelnacca and fan-favorite Mirialan Vernestra Rwoh, who first appeared in the original Phase I High Republic novels.
Currently, The High Republic is entering its third and final phase of books -- including adult novels, comics, young adult books, and middle-grade books -- which will release between Fall 2023 and 2025. This year also saw the release of Lucasfilm's first non-literary High Republic adaptations, including Star Wars Jedi: Survivor and Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures. Another video game, Star Wars: Eclipse, will take place in the High Republic time period, though its release date hasn't been announced yet.
The Acolyte is slated to premiere on Disney+ in 2024.
Source: EW