Highlights
- Star Wars: The Acolyte is taking a unique approach by hiring writers unfamiliar with the franchise, setting it apart from its peers.
- The writers for each episode of The Acolyte have an impressive background, with experience in projects like Heathers, Game of Thrones, and Mr. Robot.
- The show is aiming to offer both an intriguing Sith-led story and representation of queer identity, which Star Wars fans may not often get to see.
Star Wars: The Acolyte is a bit of an enigma in the franchise. But now, things are just slightly less murky, at least regarding the behind-the-scenes stuff. The Disney Plus show has revealed its writers for each episode, which may crank up the excitement level as much as a big cameo reveal.
Right from the start, The Acolyte seemed like it would be something different. Much like the incredible Andor, which has drawn in viewers who otherwise wouldn't have given Star Wars a second glance, this new series is showing signs of doing its own thing and telling a compelling story that happens to be set in a galaxy far, far away. The Acolyte showrunner Leslye Headland specifically wanted writers unfamiliar with Star Wars. That's one way to set the project apart from its peers. But one thing's for sure, regardless of the newly-revealed writers' familiarity with the franchise, they're bringing a lot of clout.
The Writers Guild of America (WGA) website has officially revealed the writers for each episode of The Acolyte, and there are some incredible gets in there. Headland herself is taking on the first episode as both writer and director, but after that, the quill is being handed off to an impressive assortment of others. While not all of them boast Earth-shaking past projects on their resumes, their combined previous experience almost feels like The Acolyte has brought together a supergroup.
Episode 1 | written by Leslye Headland |
|---|---|
Episode 2 | written by Jason Micallef and Charmaine DeGraté |
Episode 3 | written by Jasmyne Flournoy and Eileen Shim |
Episode 4 | Claire Kiechel and Kor Adana |
Episode 5 | Kor Adana and Cameron Squires |
Episode 6 | written by Jason Micallef and Jocelyn Bioh |
Episode 7 | written by Charmaine DeGraté, Jen Richards, and Jasmyne Flournoy |
Episode 8 | Jason Micallef |
Micallef is perhaps best known for writing and creating the 2018 series Heathers. The same series saw Flournoy among its crew, though she was also involved with The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Meanwhile, DeGraté and Shim are notable for having both worked on the beloved Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon. That's already a rather wide-reaching net of projects the writers have been involved with, and the list isn't even halfway through.
Aside from already possessing the perfect Star Wars name, Adana has the chops for it, having written a couple of episodes of the cyber-thriller masterpiece series Mr. Robot. He'll be joined in one episode of The Acolyte by Kiechel, who can proudly lay claim to her work on HBO's beloved Emmy-winning 2019 Watchmen series and The OA. Joining Adana on another episode is Squires, who notably served as a staff writer on WandaVision. Rounding out the list is Bioh, who worked with Headland on Russian Doll, and writer/actress Richards, known for projects like Blindspotting and Her Story. Notably, Richards is a transgender woman who has lobbied for better trans representation in Hollywood, so it would be nice to see her get her wish here.
The Sith-led story of Star Wars: The Acolyte is already setting up an intriguing premise, offering up the potential of something Star Wars fans may not often get to see. So add to that this truly enviable list of writers and baby, they've got a stew going. Even aside from all that, The Acolyte will reportedly reflect showrunner Headland's queer identity, offering some much-needed representation to the franchise. Here's hoping the series hits all the high marks it seems to be shooting for.
Star Wars: The Acolyte is currently set to release on Disney Plus in 2024.
Source: Writers Guild of America
