While fans struggle to process The Acolyte's cancellation, its cast members are now sharing their thoughts on the abrupt ending.
Earlier, Lee Jung-jae told Entertainment Weekly that he hopes Disney will eventually greenlight another season of the show, even though his character died in the Season 1 finale. Lee shared his disappointment at the series being canceled before showrunner Leslye Headland got an opportunity to go further with the main characters:
"I thought that she was a great writer and director who was very talented in the storytelling, as well as creating characters and creating meaningful structures within the story. So I was actually personally really looking forward to watching a Season 2 with her at the helm."Lee Jung-jae
Carrie-Anne Moss, who plays Master Indara, also shared her feelings on the show's sudden cancellation after one season. In an interview with ComicBook's Chris Killian, Moss called the news "a bummer" but says that she's been in the industry long enough not to get invested in anything:
"I mean, I’ve been asked that question a lot today, and it’s funny because, you know, when being an actor, you’re in shows all the time that are canceled and it’s in the beginning, it’s kind of a bummer... And then you just learn to not really be invested. You can’t be, it’s a protection mechanism."Carrie-Anne Moss.
Like Jung-jae's Master Sol, Moss's Master Indara also met her fate early on in the show's first season, she says she heard the news from a dad at school, but by this time she was already working on another project:
"I heard from, like, a dad at school, and I was already working on something else. So it’s sort of like, oh, okay. It was over already for me. I don’t know, maybe that’s… I’m glad you liked it though. Yeah, I really enjoyed doing that too."Carrie-Anne Moss.
Despite widespread reports of The Acolyte's cancellation, Lucasfilm and Disney have yet to confirm or deny the decision, so there's no telling how things will pan out. The Acolyte could eventually be given a second chance. However, series creator Leslye Headland and Lucasfilm must align their visions and decide how to continue the story.
During the show's promotional interviews, Headland shared her hopes that it would run for at least five seasons, if not more. However, she had been honest that a second season would only happen if Season 1 performed well. Still, there have been rumblings that The Acolyte's big budget may have been among the reasons why it was canceled so quickly, as Disney executives felt it didn't deliver the ratings they wanted.
If budget issues can be sorted and Headland can find a way to tell the story in a 12-episode-long second season, similar to Andor's format, maybe The Acolyte can return to our screens at some point down the line. For now, fans must keep their fingers crossed and continue pressuring Lucasfilm.
The Acolyte is streaming on Disney+.