The Acolyte may not have brought in a large enough audience to justify a second season, but there’s certainly no argument that the audience the series did have is quite vocal in their support. Calls to renew Acolyte have not stopped since it was announced that the Disney+ Star Wars series had been canceled. Amid that, big names are showing their support and, more recently, Marvel's Simu Liu sang the praises of Manny Jacinto.
Following the new of The Acolyte's cancellation, Manny Jacinto posted a still from the series to Instagram, adding a simple heart emoji to express his love for the show and the fans. Many responded with their own well wishes and support. One comment that likely carried a lot of weight came from Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings' Simu Liu, who praised Jacinto’s performance and said he would be rooting for the work to lead to bigger things in the future. Liu said…
justice for manny!! bro you were so effing good in this show and the dedication was so apparent. bigger and brighter things ahead. rooting for you always ❤️
In addition to playing a Marvel Cinematic Universe hero, Simu Liu is an avowed Star Wars fan. Liu has shown off some serious lightsaber skills in the past and wouldn't be a bad choice to appear in SW at some point himself. Seeing Liu and Manny Jacinto together could have been something fun though, unfortunately, the odds of it happing are now relatively low.
Simu Liu and Manny Jacinto are two stars with a lot in common. Both got noticed doing comedy and were able to use that opportunity to join major Disney franchises, Liu with the MCU and Jacinto with Star Wars. It's not surprising that Liu would publicly support another actor like this considering how much they have in common.
Both have also seen their share of hurdles to long-term success within those franchises. While Manny Jacinto’s show has been canceled, Simu Liu’s announced Shang-Chi sequel has yet to materialize. As it stands, a release date has not been announced while other upcoming Marvel movies continue to move forward.
While a recent petition to save The Acolyte has received more attention than most campaigns of its type, the show is more than likely beyond saving. That’s not to say that the potential of seeing the story or characters again in an upcoming Star Wars movie or series is impossible. They are now all part of the galaxy far far away and could reappear in some way in the future.
Whatever happens with The Acolyte or Shang-Chi, it does seem that the future for both Simu Liu and Manny Jacinto is bright. Their talent is undeniable which means there are likely to be many franchises that want them. All the while, I hope that they continue to support each other.
