The story of The Acolyte will not continue, as Lucasfilm opted not to proceed with a second season of the spin-off series Star Wars starring Amandla Stenberg.
News of the decision comes more than a month after the eight-episode first season of the series from the creator, director, executive producer and showrunner Leslye Headland will end its broadcast in Disney+.
The Acolyte performed well with critics, with a 78% on Rotten Tomatoes, but it divided Star Wars fans, which was reflected in its overall audience.
Fueled by interest in the venerable space franchise, The Acolyte got off to a strong start when it launched June 4 with two episodes, generating 4.8 million views in its first day on the streaming service to rank as the biggest series premiere on Disney+ this year. That number rose to 11.1 million views globally after five days of streaming. Corroborating Disney’s data, the series made its debut on Nielsen’s Top 10 Originals chart in its premiere week at No. 7 (488 million minutes watched), rising to No. 6 the following week.
The Acolyte’s low numbers
But The Acolyte couldn’t maintain the momentumdropping out of the Top 10 in Week 3 and staying out before returning to the #10 spot following the finale’s release (335 million minutes, believed to be the lowest ever for a Star Wars series finale).
Like other global streaming services such as Netflix and Prime Video, Disney+ has a high audience threshold for renewing high-profile, big-budget series that cost well over $100 million per season to produce.
In interviews, Headland revealed that she had pitched her ideas for a second season and shared her hopes for a renewal.
What is The Acolyte about?
The Acolyte is a mystery-thriller that took viewers into a galaxy of dark secrets and emerging dark side powers in the final days of the High Republic era. A former Padawan reunites with her Jedi Master to investigate a series of crimes, but the forces they face are more sinister than they ever imagined.
In addition to Stenberg, the cast included Lee Jung-jae, Manny Jacinto, Jodie Turner-Smith, Dafne Keen, Rebecca Henderson, Charlie Barnett, Dean-Charles Chapman and Carrie-Anne Moss.
Source: Ambito
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