It’s official – The Acolyte has been canceled and will no longer move forward with Season 2. Despite the show’s fairly average critical score, Lucasfilm decided to pull the plug on the extremely expensive miniseries following backlash from fans.
Leslye Headland served as the showrunner and has previously expressed her love and passion for Star Wars, and if given a chance, she would like to make it a trilogy. Now, that hope has been crushed.
The Acolyte Squandered Its Budget For An Underwhelming Story
Leslye Headland’s work on The Acolyte is considered a historical event by many as she became the first out queer person to helm a Star Wars property with the prequel show. With a staggering $180 million budget, that estimates to $22.5 million money spent per episode. This is incredibly pricey for a miniseries.
Lucasfilm may have come to the realization that there is no way they would shell out a budget that big again after the criticism the show endured from fans. While it is certified fresh on Rotten Tomatoes with a 78% approval rating, the audience despised it so much that they gave it a dismal 18% score.
One thing fans pointed out was the fact that Headland does not understand Star Wars. The show started with an intriguing tale that invited viewers, but it failed to maintain its momentum and eventually faltered toward its season finale. The overall writing lacked quality in terms of storyline and characterization. How can a two-time Emmy nominee and a self-proclaimed die-hard Star Wars fan fail to handle a very promising franchise?
Roughly $180 million was exhausted on the project, which is more than what Denis Villeneuve’s first Dune movie spent. The 2021 film only had $165 million for production costs, and they even had to scout for faraway locations, build impressive set designs and costumes, and hire A-listers for the cast. It was a commercial success with a $407 million box office haul.
Dune: Part Two only had ten million more in terms of budget against The Acolyte, but, similar to its first installment, it was a raging success with $711 million worldwide gross. On Rotten Tomatoes, it has an exceptional 92% approval rating. The bottom line is that the Dune franchise made use of its budget wisely and Villeneuve made sure he was able to capture the spirit of the lore and translate it seamlessly onto the big screen.
Leslye Headland Defends The Acolyte Against Woke Propaganda Comments
Headland has previously spoken about the backlash against The Acolyte with netizens calling it a woke propaganda. This is one of the reasons why the audience decided to review-bomb the series.
She insisted she did not make queer content; regardless, it is evident that whatever story she crafted for the show did not sit well with fans.
The cancellation of The Acolyte may not bode well for future Star Wars projects unless they return to making shows that depict the true essence of the franchise.
The Acolyte is currently available to watch on Disney+. Dune Part One and Two are streaming on Netflix.
