Canceled ‘Star Wars: The Acolyte’ Cost $50 Million More Than Lucasfilm Admitted

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Amandla Stenberg as Osha Aniseya (L) and Manny Jacinto as The Stranger (R) in 'The Acolyte'

Credit: Lucasfilm

The Acolyte was the most controversial Star Wars project in years, and it was doomed from the start. But not because of any “woke” cultural issues: it simply cost way, way too much.

Mae (Amandla Stenberg) in The Acolyte looks over an ocean.
Credit: Lucasfilm

Lucasfilm is currently in something of a soft reboot of the Star Wars franchise. After a half-decade without theatrically released films set in a galaxy far, far away (the last being the indifferently received The Rise of Skywalker in 2019), the studio is currently developing both The Mandalorian & Grogu and an unnamed sequel starring Daisy Ridley for 2026 and 2o27, respectively.

Related: Daisy Ridley’s New ‘Star Wars’ Sequel Put “On Hold” After Lucasfilm Objects

At the same time, the studio is pivoting from focusing Disney+ Star Wars series exclusively on the “Mandoverse,” especially as Lucasfilm Chief Creative Officer Dave Filoni insists on forcing his Clone Wars characters into the series. New shows like Young Jedi Adventures and the upcoming Skeleton Crew are courting a younger audience, while Andor and The Acolyte have attempted to position themselves as more mature, morally ambiguous stories set in the universe.

Osha (Amandla Stenberg) and Qimir (Manny Jacinto) dressed in dark clothing stand side by side against a neutral background. The one on the left wears a hooded outfit and has short, styled hair, giving off subtle Star Wars vibes, while the one on the right has long hair tied back and is wearing a sleeveless top. Both appear contemplative.
Credit: Lucasfilm

While Andor may be critically acclaimed and has a second season in the works, The Acolyte has been canceled after a single batch of episodes. The Leslye Headland-created show starred Amandla Stenberg, Lee Jung-jae, Manny Jacinto, and Dafne Keen and took place a century before The Phantom Menace (1999), during the High Republic years of the Jedi Order.

The show immediately generated a firestorm of accusations of “wokeness” for daring to have a cast of mainly POC and feature elements like “lesbian space witches” and Darth Plagueis. It was consistently review-bombed within moments of new episodes premiering and, in short, had a target on its back from its premiere.

The Acolyte was apparently canceled after a single season (though Lucasfilm has yet to make an official announcement), but this appears to have little to do with the vitriolic backlash from the conservative side of the fanbase. Instead, the already expensive show cost even more to make than previously reported.

Related: ‘Star Wars’ Fans Finally Love a New Series, Stop Complaining

Forbes reports that the series went over budget at “$230.1 million (£172.7 million) when it was only part of the way through post-production,” despite Lucasfilm previously stating that the show was consistent with financial expectations. United Kingdom financial disclosures confirm this. This is an estimated $50 million over what was previously reported, making a huge financial investment an even bigger debacle.

An annual strategic report from Blue Stockings (UK) Limited for the year ending 30 September 2022. The report highlights business reviews, principal risks, uncertainties, key performance indicators, future developments, and board approval dated 31 May 2023.
Credit: Blue Stockings (UK)

Despite all the cultural hubbub about The Acolyte, it seems its failure was simple. As always, it was about the money.

Do you think The Acolyte deserved a Season 2?

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