A Disney executive has opened up about the reason behind The Acolyte’s cancellation.
Back in June, fans of the long-running Star Wars franchise were first treated to the highly anticipated series.
Set before the events of the Skywalker Saga at the end of the High Republic era, The Acolyte follows a former Padawan (Amandla Stenberg) who reunites with her Jedi Master (Lee Jung-jae) to investigate a series of mysterious crimes.
It boasted an ensemble cast, with supporting stars such as Charlie Barnett, Dafne Keen, Rebecca Henderson, Jodie Turner-Smith, Carrie-Anne Moss, Manny Jacinto, Dean-Charles Chapman, Joonas Suotamo, Margarita Levieva, Harry Trevaldywn and David Harewood.
While The Acolyte received generally favourable reviews from critics – earning a 78% on Rotten Tomatoes – it was ruthlessly targeted by online trolls who claimed the show was too “woke” due to its diverse cast and LGBTQIA+ inclusion.
Fortunately, the series still garnered a passionate fanbase, with many praising its intricate storylines, cast performances, and its overall connection to the Star Wars lore.
However, two months after its premiere, it was announced that The Acolyte was not picked up for a second series, much to the disappointment of dedicated viewers.
Since that fateful day, Disney has refrained from discussing the true reason behind the show’s cancellation… until now.
In a recent interview with Vulture, the co-chairman of Disney Entertainment, Alan Bergman, gave insight into why the series was axed.
“We were happy with our performance, but it wasn’t where we needed it to be given the cost structure of that title, quite frankly, to go and make a season two,” he explained. “So that’s the reason why we didn’t do that.”
Bergman’s recent interview comes a few months after Stenberg spoke candidly about the cancellation and the backlash from hateful Star Wars fans.
“Our Star Wars show has been cancelled, and I’m gonna say, I’m really transparent, that it’s not a huge shock for me. For those who aren’t aware, there has been a rampage of vitriol that we have faced since the show was even announced,” they said.
“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.”
However, Stenberg told their fans that it was an “incredible honour and dream” for them to be involved in the Star Wars universe.
“Of course, I’m very sad about the show being cancelled, and I’m sad about us not being able to give people who are invested into it more,” they said.
“I still just feel a lot of levity and joy around the fact that it that I got to experience it, and that people loved it, and that people were so responsive.
The Acolyte is available to stream on Disney+.
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