Star Wars: The Acolyte Creator Would 'Absolutely' Come Back for Season 2 if Disney Greenlights It
Star Wars: The Acolyte Season 2 seems unlikely at the moment, but creator Leslye Headland has confirmed she would "absolutely" show up for more episodes if Disney ever gave her the green light. The mind behind the 2024 Sith-centric spin-off series talked about her interest in more episodes and what the story could look like if it returned during an interview with Empire. Her updated thoughts on the matter arrived on the second anniversary of the show's premiere and just a few months shy of two years since its reported cancelation.
The Acolyte left Star Wars fans with a few major moments tied to Yoda and the elusive Darth Plagueis when it wrapped up its eight-episode season in July 2024. It's been a few years, but Headland said she would "absolutely" still be interested in coming back for Season 2 if Disney gave its approval.
"I would still want to do it! Absolutely," she said. "As more people discover it, I think people may want to see some form of the story come back."
Headland's reference to viewers rediscovering The Acolyte comes from reports that the series had reentered the "top 10 shows" chart for Disney+ in April of this year. Interest seems to be inspired by its similarly dark Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord show, leaving the door open in audiences' minds that Disney might one day return to Headland's High Republic story.
Headland said that, should Disney give her a call, she already has a few plotlines she'd love to explore. It sounds like some ideas may have even been brewing for some time.
"We did have a lot of stuff that we wanted to explore – including tying in lore to the sequels," she said. "Getting into who exactly [actor Manny Jacinto's] character is, his connection with [Jedi Master] Vernestra, his connection with Plagueis, and then his connection with other sequel-established things."
Jacinto has been one of the more vocal stars calling for the Star Wars show to return since Season 1 came to an end. Aside from promising to make it his personal life goal to resurrect The Acolyte, the actor said in December 2024 gave fans some hope when he teased that "we could come back."
The Acolyte featured a number of moments that drew mixed reactions from fans upon its premiere but, as noted by star Amandla Stenberg, also faced "hyper-conservative bigotry and vitriol" since its reveal. Still, the show generally received favorable reviews (IGN gave it a 6/10) from critics, with fans who did enjoy it taking to social media to express their disappointment in the aftermath of its reported cancelation.
For now, the show's story ended with Season 1. Headland is staying hopeful in the meantime, and even acknowledged how the reception to Star Wars as a whole has flip-flopped in the past.
"The weather changes with Star Wars," she added. "There was a real negative reaction to [the Prequels], especially from a particular generation. And 25 years later, Hayden [Christensen] is at Celebration."
While we wait to see if Disney will greenlight The Acolyte Season 2, you can check out IGN's full list of every Star Wars show and movie in the works. You can also read about what Headland had to say about the show's cancelation late last year.
