While there are various upcoming Star Wars movies and TV shows to look forward to in the coming years, a return to the end of the High Republic era isn’t on that list. Last week, it was announced that The Acolyte had been cancelled after just one season, prompting reactions ranging from a group fans rallying to try to save the series, to some horrific trolling directed at lead actress Amandla Stenberg. Today, however, marks Stenberg finally commenting publicly about The Acolyte not returning for Season 2, and it started with her acknowledging that this decision from Disney didn’t surprise her.
Taking to her Instagram Stories, Stenberg, who’s also known for playing Rue in The Hunger Games and Starr Carter in The Hate U Give, shared her thoughts about The Acolyte’s cancellation over a series of videos. Regarding why she wasn’t surprised this corner of the Star Wars franchise won’t continue, here’s what the Osha and Mae actress said:
I’m gonna be transparent and say that it’s not a huge shock for me. Of course, I live in the bubble of my own reality, but for those who aren’t aware, there has been a rampage of vitriol that we have faced since the show was even announced, when it was still just a concept and no one had even seen it. That’s when we started experiencing a rampage of I would say hyper-conservative bigotry and vitriol, prejudice, hatred and hateful language towards us. This really affected me when I first got the job because… even though I anticipated it happening, it’s not something you can fully understand what it feels like until it’s happening to you.
Although The Acolyte earned decent positive reception from critics, it was also a target of review bombing, as evidenced by its 78% Tomatometer ranking on Rotten Tomatoes vs. its 18% Audience Score. That’s not to say this Star Wars series didn’t deserve constructive criticism, and its cancelation reportedly stemmed from low ratings, but Amandla Stenberg is correct that the The Acolyte faced an uphill battle dealing with backlash from the fanbase, even by this franchise’s standards. She continued:
However, I feel like I’ve moved through those feelings in various ways, including being vocal about it myself. For me, it just became a situation where there was no option for me but to honor my sense of ethics and my belief system and value system while being in this very unique position. It was like, I had this very unique experience of experiencing the world at large, which is, of course, hyper divisive right now, through the lens of this very unique opportunity of being in Star Wars. It brought up a lot for me, a lot of social political dynamics, a lot about my own belief system, how I respond to that kind of hatred, how I move through the world at large. And It just became inarguable for me at a certain point, that in order to continue to be myself, I’d have to honor my value system, my being vocal even within the context of working for Disney and working within the large massive IP that is Star Wars.
Amandla Stenberg later said that although she’s “very sad” about The Acolyte being cancelled, she also feels “levity and joy” about getting to play around in the Star Wars universe, which included her looking at fan art, shipping art, fan theories, etc. Along with thanking fans who showed The Acolyte love during its brief run on the 2024 TV schedule, she also expressed gratitude to the cast and crew she worked with, including creator Leslye Headland. Stenberg’s thoughts come less than a week after Sol actor Lee Jung-jae said he was “quite surprised” to learn The Acolyte Season 2 wasn’t happening.
My fingers are still crossed that Lucasfilm eventually resolves those lingering Season 1 plot threads in either a novel, a series of novels or a comic book series. While we wait to see if that wish of mine comes true, remember that the next Star Wars series, Skeleton Crew, premieres to those with a Disney+ subscription on December 3.
