Carrie-Anne Moss & More Famous Faces Join 'The Acolyte'
By Kristin Myers on November 7, 2022 at 2:30 PM EST
The new Star Wars series "The Acolyte" has added some new cast members to its growing list, which includes "The Hunger Games" star Amandla Stenberg and "Squid Game" star Lee Jung-Jae.
The show, which has already begun filming in the U.K., is anticipated to be released in late 2023, despite the fact that it was barely mentioned at the annual Star Wars Celebration or Disney D23 event earlier this year.
Who Has Been Cast In 'The Acolyte' So Far?
Actor Charlie Barnett, best known for starring opposite “Orange Is The New Black” alum Natasha Lyonne in the Netflix series “Russian Doll,” has now been confirmed to appear in "The Acolyte," according to Deadline.
Barnett will again be working with “Russian Doll” co-creator Leslye Headland, who is showrunning, writing, and directing the latest Disney+ live-action series. He is reported to play a supporting role.
On Monday morning, Deadline reported that "The Matrix" star Carrie-Anne Moss has also joined the cast.
The last famous faces to sign on are "His Dark Materials" star Dafne Keen, "Inventing Anna" star Rebecca Henderson, and "1917" actor Dean-Charles Chapman. The names of the characters for any of the cast members have yet to be disclosed.
Last month, Deadline revealed that “The Good Place” star Manny Jacinto has been cast in the upcoming series.
Although he is best known for playing Jason Mendoza on “The Good Place,” fans most recently got to see him in the box office success “Top Gun: Maverick.”
Deadline also reported that "Squid Game" star Lee Jung-Jae had been tapped to play the male lead in the series shortly before his first Emmy win.
Lee has won several major awards for his roles, including a Screen Actors Guild Award, a Critics' Choice Television Award, and six Baeksang Arts Awards.
In addition to Lee's casting, Deadline reported that British actress and model Jodie-Turner Smith had joined the cast as well.
She recently appeared alongside another Star Wars star, Adam Driver, in the film, "White Noise," which kicked off the 2022 Venice Film Festival. Driver is best known for portraying Kylo Ren and the redeemed Ben Solo in the Star Wars sequel trilogy from 2015 to 2019.
Amandla Stenberg Reveals That Her Character Was Created Specifically For Her
Earlier this year, Amandla announced her casting by posing for photos alongside Darth Vader and R2-D2 at San Diego Comic-Con.
In an Instagram post, she wrote, "Next stop: a galaxy far, far away… I am so excited to finally announce I’m joining Star Wars: #TheAcolyte ! Honored is an understatement. May the Force be with you."
Ahmed Best, who played Jar Jar Binks in the prequel trilogy, commented, “Welcome Amandla. The galaxy is better with you in it. ❤️.” Lucasfilm commented, “Welcome to the galaxy!” while Disney+ added, “🤩💫.”
In an interview with The Face magazine (via Game Rant) Amandla revealed that Lucasfilm producers had written the lead character of the series with her specifically in mind.
"The Lucasfilm team came to me with this project which was fully conceptualized with me in mind, and I was astounded,” she told the publication. Amandla also described herself as a big fan of the movies and TV shows, adding that she is “so lucky” to get to “get lost” in the franchise as part of her job.
"I get to read, watch, and breathe Star Wars. It's my job to get lost in it, I'm so lucky," she said. "My plans were interrupted by a very different life path, but one that I think is going to be a huge blessing."
During its announcement at Disney Investor Day in 2020, Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy revealed, “Leslye Headland, Emmy-nominated creator of the mind-bending series Russian Doll, is a boldly innovative filmmaker bringing her new Star Wars series to Disney+. The Acolyte is a mystery thriller that will take us into a galaxy of shadowy secrets and emerging Dark Side powers in the final days of the High Republic era.”
In addition to "The Acolyte," Star Wars fans also get to look forward to the next season of "The Mandalorian" and "Ahsoka," which will be released in 2023. New episodes of the "Rogue One" prequel series "Andor" are currently released every Wednesday on Disney+.
