Despite Disney+’s latest sci-fi series, The Acolyte, having been making waves on the internet, the series received a dark fate. The show performed well on the platform. However, we have unpleasant news for those asking for The Acolyte Season 2. But don’t lose your hopes. Although things are on the darker front for the series, the show’s showrunner and cast members recently shared a pleasing update, suggesting more to come. So, without further ado, let’s head to learn what the future holds for The Acolyte Season 2.
Created by Leslye Headland, The Acolyte is a sci-fi series in the Star Wars franchise. Unlike other series in the franchise, it is set at the end of the High Republic era before the Skywalker Saga. It explores the mystery surrounding the sinister forces and how things turn complicated in the Star Wars universe. Throughout the series, the respected Jedi master investigates several crimes that lead him to a former Padawan. As the story explores, it focuses on more sinister crimes and forces.
Is The Acolyte Season 2 Renewed?
The eight-episode first season of The Acolyte debuted on June 4, 2024, and ran until July 16. As expected, the series was well-loved, leaving many on their toes to learn about its fate. While many are curious to see their favorite characters back, the show won’t return for another run. That’s right, Lucasfilm decided not to proceed with The Acolyte Season 2.
The studio house canceled the series just after one season, more than a month after the first season aired. Well, the news isn’t surprising. That’s because the show was destined to fall. It performed moderately with critics, gaining 78% on Rotten Tomatoes. It also faced mixed ratings, which were reflected in its overall viewership.
The Star Wars fans weren’t pleased by the series as it didn’t bring any major characters from that franchise, disappointing many. It also found itself in the tug-of-war surrounding a Star Wars culture war. Since the franchise has brought casting diversity, many have found things inappropriate. Amid this, the cancelation of The Acolyte Season 2 was also supposed to be because of the writing flaws that “broke canon.”
Each episode of the first season brought new controversy. The series later turned out to be the most review-bombed series in Marvel or Disney’s history. It gained an 18% audience score and a 78% critic score. Budget constraints also played a major role in the series’ cancellation.
But The Acolyte Gained A Boost In Viewership
Despite being canceled because of its diversity of thoughts, The Acolyte had a bang-on debut. It gained 4.8M views on the first day of its debut on Disney+. Soon after, the show became the biggest series premiere on Disney+. According to the reports, The Acolyte rose to 11.1 million views in just five days of its streaming.
In addition, the show secured a No. 7 spot on Nielsen’s Top 10 in the premiere week, rising to No. 6 the following week. However, the show failed to maintain the same momentum throughout its run. The Acolyte dropped out of the Nielsen charts in Week 3 and didn’t return to the top 10 after the finale’s release.
According to reports, the finale only secured 335 million minutes of views, which was believed to be the lowest ever for a Star Wars series. Since the series is the franchise of Star Wars, it was expected to perform incredibly well on the streaming platform. However, the show failed to perform well on Disney+.
Like Netflix and Prime Video, Disney+ has a high viewership threshold. The renewal decision should be based on viewership vs. the series’ budget. The Acolyte was a big-budget series made with $100 million. Thus, such a huge budget created complications for the show. Lucasfilm didn’t want to invest in a show that failed to gain the viewership as required, leading to The Acolyte Season 2’s cancellation.
Can The Acolyte Season 2 Return?
While Lucasfilm canceled the series after one season, there’s hope for season 2. The series showrunner and executive producer Leslye Headland revealed that she had ideas for The Acolyte Season 2. She is currently in talks with the producer about returning the series for another season, hinting at hopes for a renewal. However, the production house hasn’t shared anything about the next run, but that doesn’t mean it won’t return.
Despite Disney being vocal about the series cancelation thanks to lack of viewership, the cast has shared a small glimmer of hope for its renewal. Manny Jacinto, who played The Stranger, shared hope for season 2. Last week, he shared a quote from DragonCon, hinting at The Acolyte Season 2. In that clip, he was asked about his last wish before he died. Surprisingly, Jacinto said, “Season 2 of The Acolyte.”
Later, another quote surfaced on the internet, where he told one of his fans that they were fighting for the series renewal. He said that some talks had been done behind the scenes, and they would soon return with another season.
Well, this show won’t be the first to return after being canceled. However, how things will be handled is a big question. The creative team might focus on the series budget; cutting it short can help them greatly. This way, they can develop more prominent storylines without using unnecessary CGI work.
The Acolyte Season 2 Cast: Who Will Return?
If the show returns in another season, we can expect the entire first season’s characters who didn’t face dark fate to return. So, we can undoubtedly expect to see Amandla Stenberg back as Verosha “Osha” and Mae-ho “Mae” Aniseya. Lee Jae won’t return as Sol, as he died in the first season. However, he could return in the form of some flashbacks.
Charlie Barnett as Yord Fandar, Dafne Keen as Jecki Lon, and Rebecca Henderson as Vernestra Rwoh will return. We can also expect to see Jodie Turner-Smith as Mother Aniseya in The Acolyte Season 2. Carrie-Anne Moss can return as Indara, Manny Jacinto as the Stranger, and Dean-Charles Chapman as Torbin can also return.
The other cast members who can return are Joonas Suotamo as Kelnacca, Margarita Levieva as Mother Koril, Harry Trevaldwyn as Mog, and David Harewood as Rayencourt. Well, the first season saw the end of many characters as they were killed off while uncovering the sinister crimes. But if The Acolyte Season 2 returns, we can expect to see some new people on the show.
What Will Happen Next In The Acolyte Season 2?
The first season focused on twins Mae and Osha, who were separated at a young age and led to believe that the other was killed. As the series progressed, it focused on the twins’ lives and how their surroundings affected their lifestyle. It also focused on the traditional perception of the Jedi, who was responsible for separating the twins.
However, with time, Osha learned about Mae’s whereabouts and how she could reunite with her lost sister. On the other hand, Sol played a huge part in corrupting Mae’s mind. Despite that, Osha and Mae reunited in the ruins of the witches’ fortress, leading to the discovery of Sol’s true intention. After discovering Sol’s true purpose, Osha killed him using the Force.
But it only created challenges for them as Vernestra arrived with a group of Jedi and found Sol’s body. Despite the sisters reuniting, Osha wiped Mae’s memory while she decided to be trained with Qimir. So, if The Acolyte Season 2 returns, it will focus on Osha’s training period and how she achieves powers to confront Jedi. Meanwhile, the crime scene continues to create havoc in their world.
The Acolyte Season 2 Release Date
As mentioned above, the show has been canceled. So, the chances of its return are lower. However, the series showrunner and the cast members hope for its return. Since they have been in talks about Season 2 of The Acolyte, we expect the show might return sooner rather than expected. If so, The Acolyte Season 2 will be released sometime in 2026 or 2027. Since it’s a sci-fi series, it will take longer to wrap up filming and post-production work. This is all for now. Stay with TechRadar247 for more such updates.