Star Wars: The Acolyte actor Lee Jung-jae has reacted to Disney’s decision to cancel the show after just one season, saying he was “quite surprised” by the news.
Lee Jung-jae, who also starred in Netflix’s phenomenally successful Squid Game, told Entertainment Weekly that despite the cancellation, he hoped to see The Acolyte return one day.
Warning! Spoilers for The Acolyte Season 1 follow:
In The Acolyte, Lee Jung-jae plays a Jedi Master called Sol who is eventually killed by his former padawan, Osha (Amandla Stenberg). The final episode of the series sets up a number of cliffhangers, which may never be resolved following the cancellation of the show.
The Acolyte proved divisive during its eight-episode run, as some people sang its praises and got a kick out of its various references and cameos, including the highly anticipated Darth Plagueis reveal. In contrast, others were critical, pointing out issues with its incohesive writing and unusual choices that they felt didn't fit Star Wars.
Showrunner Leslye Headland previously commented on the possibility of future seasons, telling Entertainment Weekly she had "four or five major mysteries" that she would have liked to explore beyond the first season. Likewise, at D23 this year, star Manny Jacinto expressed his desire to reprise his fan-favorite character again.
It's now unclear whether Disney will return to Star Wars' High Republic era or answer any of the questions posed by The Acolyte during its first season. But given the show's performance, it seems unlikely. While The Acolyte's viewership started strong, garnering 11.1 million views in its first five days of streaming, its momentum waned, dropping out of Nielsen's weekly Top 10 chart in week three. It would return to the Top 10 at #10, however, for the season finale.
“As you know, my character had died already in the first season,” Lee told Entertainment Weekly. “So I wouldn't have appeared in the second season if there was one anyway. But personally speaking, I really loved Leslye’s writing. I thought that she was a great writer and director who was very talented in the storytelling, as well as creating characters and creating meaningful structures within the story. So I was actually personally really looking forward to watching a Season 2 with her at the helm.
“To hear the news, I was quite surprised personally as well.”
Although it now seems unlikely that we’ll ever get The Acolyte Season 2, Lee holds out hope that Disney may eventually reverse its decision.
“Honestly, I am hoping that maybe there could be changes in the future,” Lee added. “Because you never know what's going to happen. So on a personal level, I really hope we could get to see further stories of Leslye’s second season.”
Lucasfilm still has plenty of Star Wars shows to come. Next up is Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, debuting on December 3, which recently unveiled its first trailer, followed by Andor Season 2 next year. Ahsoka Season 2 is also in development, as confirmed by Disney in January.
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
