Star Wars’ $180M-budget prequel series The Acolyte CANCELED by Disney+ after one season

Star Wars' $180M-budget prequel series The Acolyte CANCELED by Disney+ after one season

As a dedicated Star Wars fan with over four decades of watching and loving every aspect of this universe, I must admit, I find myself both saddened and bewildered by the news that The Acolyte has been canceled after just one season.

Lucasfilm has chosen to cancel their expensive prequel series, The Acolyte, approximately a month following the broadcast of the final episode on Disney+.

As an overly enthusiastic fan, I was disheartened to learn on Monday, straight from the horse’s mouth (or sources, if you will), that there won’t be a second season for the captivating mystery-thriller series, delving into the Sith’s clandestine infiltration of the Jedi during the final breaths of the High Republic era. This show, set a century before George Lucas’ prequel films, has been a thrilling journey through the dark side of the Force for me.

Twice Emmy-nominated Leslye Headland made history as the first openly queer creator of a Star Wars franchise, titled The Acolyte. In an interview with the New York Times in May, she revealed that the production budget for this series amounts to approximately $180 million, or around $22.5 million per episode.

The story features Amandla Stenberg portraying twin sisters, Mae-ho ‘Mae’ Aniseya and Verosha ‘Osha’ Aniseya. Notably, Verosha becomes a Padawan who reconnects with her Jedi Master Sol (Lee Jung-jae) to explore a sequence of mysteries.

In addition to the lead character, The Acolyte stars Carrie-Anne Moss, Jodie Turner-Smith, Charlie Barnett, Dafne Keen, Rebecca Henderson, Manny Jacinto, Dean-Charles Chapman, Joonas Suotamo, Margarita Levieva, Lauren Brady and Leah Brady, as well as Harry Trevaldwyn and David Harewood.

Star Wars' $180M-budget prequel series The Acolyte CANCELED by Disney+ after one season

In simpler terms, the action series featuring lightsabers was given a “fresh” 78% rating by critics based on 246 reviews at Rotten Tomatoes, yet only 18% of the audience enjoyed it. This low score from viewers could be due to a suspected coordinated negative feedback campaign.

As an ardent follower, I enthusiastically embarked on this journey when the initial two episodes of The Acolyte were unveiled on June 4, amassing a staggering 11.1 million views worldwide within just five days. However, although a puppet appearance by the legendary Jedi Master Yoda during the July 16 finale was undeniably captivating, it unfortunately failed to maintain the initial momentum and viewership numbers.

Regarding Yoda’s character in The Mandalorian, it seems that a fourth season may not be forthcoming since creator Jon Favreau and producer Dave Filoni have instead developed the storyline into a movie titled “The Mandalorian & Grogu” set to premiere in theaters on May 22, 2026.

Favreau shared with the enthusiastic crowd at Anaheim Convention Center on August 9 that we’ve only recently begun shooting the movie.

Since it’s the final D23 event before the movie releases, we thought it would be nice to drop by and greet everyone. After all, we wanted to prepare something special for you! This is an entirely new adventure focusing on these two characters, and here’s a sneak peek of what we’re working on.

It has been verified by Lucasfilm that a second season is being worked on for the Ahsoka spin-off show of Star Wars, with Rosario Dawson portraying the ex-Jedi apprentice Ahsoka Tano.

In addition to Percy Jackson and the Olympians securing another season on Disney+, unfortunately, American Born Chinese, Renegade Nell, and She-Hulk: Attorney at Law have all been taken off the schedule.