Star Wars: The Acolyte Series Adds Jodie Turner-Smith To The Cast

The newest series in the "Star Wars" universe is expanding. Deadline is reporting that Jodie Turner-Smith is in the final negotiations to join "Star Wars: The Acolyte," a prequel series slated for Disney+ that takes place around a century before the beginning of the Skywalker Saga. While neither Lucasfilm nor Turner-Smith has commented on the reports as of yet, we can already start speculating about her character's importance, as well as other details of the still mysterious project.

If the deal finalizes, then Turner-Smith will be the second confirmed cast member of the series thus far. Amandla Stenberg is the only confirmed member thus far and will play the series lead, although further details on her character are being kept under wraps. Leslye Headland, who is best known for co-creating the Netflix series "Russian Doll" with Natasha Lyonne, will serve as showrunner. 

With casting now presumably underway, projected production and release dates are expected to be revealed soon.

A common theme with this series thus far is mystery. Like many "Star Wars" projects before it, specific details are being closely guarded. However, "The Acolyte" is unlike other series Lucasfilm has produced because of how far out it takes place in the timeline. What we do know is that the show will take place during the High Republic Era, 100 years before the events of "The Phantom Menace." 

Headland previously expressed the major benefits of creating a story that doesn't use pre-existing lore within the "Star Wars" universe. "We're taking a look at the political and personal and spiritual things that came up in a time period that we don't know much about," she told Vanity Fair in an interview earlier this year. "My question when watching 'The Phantom Menace' was always like, 'Well, how did things get to this point?' How did we get to a point where a Sith lord can infiltrate the Senate, and none of the Jedi pick up on it? Like, what went wrong? What are the scenarios that led us to this moment?"

Another key detail that we already know about the series already is its genre. It has been described as "a mystery-thriller" of sorts during a time of relative galactic prosperity, fostering "shadowy secrets and emerging dark-side powers." It is likely that the actions shown throughout this series will help explain the state of the galaxy for years to come, an exciting and unique prospect for fans.