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"The Acolyte," starring Lee Jung-jae (right) (Disney Korea) |
Disney+'s original "Star Wars" series "The Acolyte," starring Lee Jung-jae from "Squid Game," will not be renewed for a second season, said US media outlets Wednesday.
According to Deadline, a Hollywood entertainment news outlet, Lucasfilm has recently decided to cancel further production of "The Acolyte." Lucasfilm is a subsidiary of Walt Disney Studios and the producer of the "Star Wars" series.
"The Acolyte" had the biggest debut of all Disney+ series released in 2024.
According to Luminate, a Los Angeles-based provider of music and entertainment data, "The Acolyte" had the strongest premiere of any Disney+ series in 2024, garnering 2.94 million views for its first episode within the first two days.
The figure is more than double Disney+'s second-best series opening this year, "Echo," which attracted 1.17 million views in its first two days.
However, the show's popularity declined over time, with the series consistently receiving poor reviews from the general audience on reputable review sites.
As of Wednesday, "The Acolyte" holds an 18 percent average audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, the lowest ever for a "Star Wars" series on the site, and a 4.1 rating on IMDb.
The low audience ratings are largely due to backlash over the series' poor writing and its deviations from the established "Star Wars" lore.
"Wooden dialogue, boring characters and so far a terrible plot. The whole production looks naff. ... We all want new 'Star Wars' material. But we want it done in a way that honors the original films and captures the essence of what makes the franchise so great," read a comment on IMDb that has received one of the highest numbers of likes, totaling 1,274.
The 8-part series follows Osha (played by Amandla Stenberg) who is accused of a series of murders targeting Jedi, the practitioners of the Force. Set a century before "Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace," the series is part of the "Star Wars" prequel era.
Korean actor Lee Jung-jae stars in a lead role as Master Sol, a Jedi master who helps Osha uncover the identity of the murderer. With Lee's involvement, "The Acolyte" became the first "Star Wars" series to feature a Korean actor.
As of Wednesday, Disney+ had yet to confirm the cancellation of "The Acolyte."
