The Acolyte Will Include A Lightsaber Battle That Could Top Star Wars' Best Fights
With a string of mysterious murders at its center, "The Acolyte" is set to be the "Star Wars" equivalent of detective fiction — although the show's first trailer also makes it clear that it won't forfeit any action for the sake of its mysteries. That first look features a martial arts-inspired face-off, a Force-fueled knife fight, and a forest showdown that begins with an ominous red lightsaber cutting through the trees.
According to series star Dafne Keen, who spoke with Entertainment Weekly about the new show earlier this month, "The Acolyte" isn't just trying to match the action sequences of past "Star Wars" shows; it's trying to beat them. "It was very much: We want to top the Darth Maul fight — the most iconic fight, I think, in the 'Star Wars' cinematic universe," Keen told EW. There's a good reason the climactic Darth Maul battle is a reference point for the series: "The Acolyte" takes place about 100 years before "Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace," so Maul is, chronologically, one of the closest major villains to the show's timeline.
"It's such an amazing fight and we were all so excited about the saber fights," Keen continued. "There's such a skill and a craft to it that it feels so OG 'Star Wars' and feels so impressive when you see it as a viewer." The actor, who is playing a Padawan named Jecki Leon in the series, said that Maul's confrontation with Qui-Gon Jin and Obi-Wan Kenobi was often mentioned as a comparison point during production. "That was a very frequent conversation we had," Keen told the outlet. It shows: the first trailer features a fighter — possibly Amandla Stenberg's Mae — showing off a wuxia-inspired aerial front flip that features a level of showmanship rarely seen in live-action outside of "The Phantom Menace."
The Darth Maul showdown was a comparison point during filming
Keen said saber work was her favorite part of filming, and that the stunt team incorporated martial arts moves into the action. "I loved the whole training process of it. Everyone was very excited about it, which then made it much more fun," she told EW. "Our incredible stunt team created this kind of fusion of different martial arts and we were really trained in how to use the sabers." The actor added that she and her scene partners Charlie Barnett and Lee Jung-Jae all "feel very comfortable with a sword now" after spending four hours a day training with the stunt team. Plus, Keen implied that viewers can learn a lot about these new characters from their fighting styles. "It was really fun to kind of explore, also, a different side to the characters within the fighting," she explained.
Along with "Squid Game" star Lee, "The Hunger Games" alum Stenberg, "Chicago Fire" actor Barnett, and "Logan" breakout Keen, "The Acolyte" cast is set to include Manny Jacinto ("The Good Place"), Jodie Turner-Smith ("Queen & Slim"), and Carrie-Anne Moss ("The Matrix"). According to its official synopsis, the show will see a seasoned Jedi (Lee) face off against a warrior he once knew (Stenberg) while following an unsettling trail of clues.
"The Acolyte" premieres on Disney+ on June 4, 2024.