Fans of the show are not happy
Star Wars’ prequel series The Acolyte has been cancelled by Disney+ after just one season.
The Acolyte, made by Lucasfilm, which aired its season one finale just over a month ago cost an eyewatering $180m to make.
Sources told Deadline on Monday that there would be no second season of the mystery-thriller show set a century before George Lucas’ prequel films.
Two-time Emmy nominee Leslye Headland made history as the first out queer person to create a Star Wars property.
Back in May she told the New York Times that the series cost around $22.5m per episode.
In the eight-episode series, Amandla Stenberg acted as twin sisters Mae-ho ‘Mae’ Aniseya and Verosha ‘Osha’ Aniseya to investigate a series of crimes.
The Acolyte also featured Carrie-Anne Moss, Jodie Turner-Smith, Charlie Barnett, Dafne Keen, Rebecca Henderson, Manny Jacinto, Dean-Charles Chapman, Joonas Suotamo, Margarita Levieva, Lauren Brady, Leah Brady, Harry Trevaldwyn and David Harewood.
The show launched its first two episodes on June 4, generating 11.1m views globally in the first five days but it could not sustain this through to the final on July 16.
The Acolyte received a ‘certified fresh’ 78 per cent critic approval rating but a disappointing 18 per cent audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Fans have been left reeling by the news after the first season left them on a cliffhanger.
One Reddit user said: “Good thing there weren’t a bunch of cliffhangers. Oh wait…”
Another said: “So the entire show was pointless, as that story will never be wrapped up. Cool.”
A third fumed: “Man I am bummed out about this. I really liked the show and was excited to see more of it. What a cliffhanger to leave it on and not continue.”
One user who was not a fan of the show, sympathised with those who did watch it saying: “I did not like it AT all. But I hate unfinished stories. I wish it was norm that when a show is cancelled it gets a follow up episode or season to close it out.”
Meanwhile, it also looks likely that there will not be a fourth season of The Mandalorian after creator Jon Favreau and producer Dave Filoni have parlayed the plot into the movie The Mandalorian & Grogu.
It is scheduled for release on May 22, 2026.
Lucasfilm confirmed that a second season of The Mandalorian spin-off Ahsoka is in development.
Percy Jackson and The Olympians also gets a second series on Disney+ while American Born Chinese and She-Hulk: Attorney at Law have been cancelled.
