Star Wars: The Acolyte casts The Good Place’s Manny Jacinto

Manny Jacinto appears to be joining the Star Wars TV franchise via Disney+.

Deadline announced this afternoon that former The Good Place star would join Amandla Stenberg and Lee Jung-jae in Leslye Headland’s upcoming live-action series. The Acolyte.

Jacinto, who played Jason Mendoza on The Good Place alongside Kristen Bell and Jameela Jamil, most recently appeared in 2022’s Top Gun: Maverick as Lt. Billy ‘Fritz’ Avalone. He also appeared in Nine Perfect Strangers  in 2021.

No information has been released about the character the actor will play in the Star Wars universe.

While we don’t know much about the series as a whole, we do know The Acolyte is rumored to take place toward the end of The High Republic era prior to The Phantom Menace and the Galactic Republic as we know it.

Many Star Wars fans have speculated that the series will shed light on the state of the Sith in the transition period between The High Republic and the Galactic Republic — an era where the Jedi are at the height of their power and one where they’ve fallen further from grace than anyone but Darth Sidious truly realizes.

In a galaxy far, far away, an acolyte is usually the student of a dark-side user, which is where much of the speculation about a Sith focus comes from.

Showrunner Leslye Headland (Russian Doll) has also spoken previously about her desire to explore the sorts of events that may have led to Palpatine quietly entering and eventually managing to take over the Galactic Senate in the prequels.

Star Wars: The Acolyte is currently in development. Check back for more news and updates as they’re released.

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