Can Star Wars ever break away from its established characters and stories? A look at the past few years provides little confidence. Boba Fett, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker, Ahsoka Tano, Bo-Katan Kryze and many, many more: Hardly any Star Wars project can do without a connection to previous chapters.
The glimmer of hope for a break from the familiar: The Acolyte. In May 2024, the series set 100 years before the events of Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace premiered on Disney+ and took us to the age of the High Republic, which was previously introduced in various novels.
New Star Wars series: Why was The Acolyte canceled?
The Acolyte introduced us to many new characters and showed us the galaxy far, far away from one perspective fresh perspective and also had some fresh thoughts on the mythology surrounding the Force and the Jedi. After eight episodes full of twists and turns, it was over: Disney+ canceled the series after just one season.
You can watch the trailer for The Acolyte here:
The Acolyte – S01 Trailer 2 (German) HD
There was no official announcement about The Acolyte’s sudden end. It wasn’t until December 2024 that Alan Bergman, co-chairman of Disney Entertainment, gave a reason for the cancellation in an interview with Vulture. In the end it is them high costs who broke The Acolyte’s neck.
Bergman is quoted as saying:
We were happy with our performance, but it wasn’t what we needed it to be to make a second season given the cost structure of this title. That’s why we didn’t.Star Wars budget: How much did The Acoylte cost?
In May 2024, The New York Times reported that production on Season 1 of The Acolyte $180 million has devoured. For eight episodes, that would be $22.5 million per episode. Apparently it didn’t stop there, as the business magazine Forbes revealed in a report in September 2024.
With $230 million The Acolyte is quantified there, which brings us to almost $29 million per episode. This would make The Acolyte one of the most expensive series of all time – right behind mega-blockbusters like Stranger Things. To date, only one other Star Wars series has reached similar budget levels: Andor.
Andor consists of two seasons with twelve episodes each. The price tag: $645 million. At least that is the status as of December 2024. Since production is not yet fully completed, this amount could increase. Just like The Acolyte, Andor also has no future on Disney+.
After Skeleton Crew, which ends next week, and Andor Season 2, which premieres in April, there is only one live-action Star Wars series with a future on Disney+: Ahsoka. Otherwise, it is not yet known how the series will continue in the live-action area. Apparently many concepts are currently being reconsidered.