Scrapped Star Wars Disney+ Show Isn't Over Yet: The Acolyte Creator Still Wants Season 2

If you thought there was no hope of seeing a second outing for The Acolyte after it got the chop, hold up. The series might have stirred up plenty of divided opinions (to put it mildly), but its creator, Leslye Headland, is apparently not ready to walk away from the Star Wars universe just yet.

One and Done… Or Not?

The Acolyte landed on Disney+ back in June 2024, and, well, opinions were all over the place. Some critics gave it a thumbs up, others were less than generous, and among Star Wars fans, the whole thing turned outright chaotic. You had the usual suspects review bombing the show for reasons that had almost nothing to do with what was actually on screen, plus several more legitimate complaints about the way it handled its characters and the Jedi as an institution, among other things.

Despite some expectations after the nice PR push, The Acolyte didn't exactly set viewership records, especially compared to some of Disney+'s other Star Wars spin-offs. Toss in a production budget that ballooned a bit too much (no, Disney won't admit what it actually cost), and word broke in August 2024: no series two. Canceled.

Leslye Headland Says She’d Do It All Again

Now, in a chat with Empire (cheers, Fantha Tracks, for the relay), Headland says she's still game for another round if Lucasfilm give her the nod. In her words:

'I would still want to do it! Absolutely. As more people discover it, I think people may want to see some form of the story come back… We did have a lot of stuff that we wanted to explore – including tying in lore to the sequels. Getting into who exactly Manny [Jacinto]'s character is, his connection with [Jedi Master] Vernestra, his connection with [Sith Lord] Plagueis, and then his connection with other sequel-established things.'

So yes, there was a plan for more. Quite a lot more, by the sound of it — including roping in some of the more obscure corners of Star Wars canon and giving fans a closer look at the links to later films. If you're wondering about Manny Jacinto's character, apparently he was meant to have a handful of interesting connections, not just with established Jedi, but also Sith, and even some bits from the sequel era. Great if you love your lore complicated.

Where It Stands Now

• June 2024: The Acolyte premieres on Disney+, instantly divides critics and fans.
• August 2024: Cancellation news hits — low viewership and high costs are the main reasons.
• Current Status: No official word from Lucasfilm about a revival. If you're curious, season one is still available to stream.

If you missed the synopsis the first time: The show is set a full century before the Empire shows up, throwing the spotlight on the Jedi Order and the Galactic Republic in peacetime, until a crime spree kicks off a clash between a Jedi Master and an old enemy. So, a bit of prequel, a bit of crime drama, and plenty of Star Wars moral ambiguity.