Production on Lucasfilm’s upcoming Disney+ exclusive series, The Acolyte seems to be on track. According to the Bespin Bulletin, the series will indeed begin shooting in the UK in February 2022, at Pinewood Studios. This fits with a previous report, and even though it’s now new information, it does bode well towards the expected 2023 release as everything seems to be on schedule.
The London setting is seemingly justified by the tremendous success of shooting The Mandalorian with the help of StageCraft technology in Los Angeles. Something that lead Lucasfilm to later announce that three new StageCraft stages were being built around the world. A new one in California, one in Australia (used while shooting Marvel’s Thor: Love and Thunder), and another one in London, at Pinewood. This means that even though production might move to the UK, audiences can be assured of the same production value.
The Acolyte will be led by Leslye Headland (Russian Doll), who will serve as showrunner, producer, and writer on the show. Details regarding casting are as of yet unknown, something that will probably change in the upcoming months as principal photography nears. Back in May 2021, production was searching for a female POC as the lead, as the series has been described as a “female-driven action thriller with martial arts elements”. The show will be set during the late High Republic era something that could mean that the events of the series might be set a mere 50 years before The Phantom Menace, making it possible for several characters known to be alive at this time to make an appearance.
Source: Bespin Bulletin
