Star Wars: The Acolyte's Amandla Stenberg Shares Their Excitement About Joining the Franchise
After months of rumors, reports, and speculation, actor Amandla Stenberg confirmed this past weekend that they were joining the galaxy far, far away to star in Star Wars: The Acolyte, which finally offered the actor the opportunity to open up about their love of the franchise. Given how long ago initial reports about their involvement was revealed, Stenberg recalled how they've had months to devote to the series and to immerse themselves in all corners of Star Wars lore, including books and podcasts about the beloved franchise. Star Wars: The Acolyte doesn't yet have a release date, though it could head into production this year.
"I'm so excited! Oh, my God, I've been on the edge of my seat for months," Stenberg explained to DenOfGeek. "I've been attached for a long time... So my whole life is Star Wars. When I wake up I think about Star Wars, I love Star Wars before I go to sleep. I read Star Wars, I listen to Star Wars podcasts, you know? So my life has been transformed to being dedicated to this one universe, which is actually really fun and liberating. So to get to finally share it with the people that love the universe so much, especially because they contribute so much to it."
Casting announcements from Star Wars are handled in a variety of ways, though are often revealed during official presentations or through official announcements in trades. Stenberg's casting, however, saw the actor taking to Instagram while at San Diego Comic-Con where they were posing with Star Wars costumes, with official Star Wars social media channels then sharing the post.
When speaking about the reveal of her casting, Stenberg recalled, "Well, when the Star Wars folks found out I was coming to Comic-Con, they were like, 'Well… I think it's time, we're gonna unleash you upon the world."
Coming from showrunner Leslye Headland, little is known about the plot of the series, though we do know it will be taking place roughly 100 years before the events of Star Wars: The Phantom Menace and is said to be exploring a time in which the Sith start to emerge on their eventual quest to take control of the galaxy.
Stay tuned for details on Star Wars: The Acolyte.
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