Amandla Stenberg is headed to a galaxy far, far away. Deadline reports that the Dear Evan Hansen actress will star in Disney+‘s upcoming Star Wars series The Acolyte.
Disney and Lucasfilm previously confirmed that The Acolyte will take place in the final days of Star Wars’ High Republic era, and will focus on the emergence of secretive dark side powers (per Variety). For context, the High Republic era ended about 50 years before the events of The Phantom Menace.
In the Star Wars universe, acolytes are force-sensitive individuals who train with a more experienced Sith Lord. The series has also been described as a mystery-thriller with “martial arts elements.” Details about Stenberg’s character are otherwise being kept tightly under wraps.
Russian Doll creator Leslye Headland serves as The Acolyte‘s writer, executive producer, and showrunner. According to Variety, the series is scheduled to begin production in mid-2022.
While The Acolyte likely won’t premiere until 2023 at the earliest, 2022 is shaping up to be a big year for live-action Star Wars shows. The Ewan McGregor-led Obi Wan Kenobi series and Diego Luna-led Andor series are expected to premiere next year, while the upcoming Ahsoka Tano show starring Rosario Dawson recently added new cast members like Natasha Liu Bordizzo and Ivanna Sakhno.
But first, The Book of Boba Fett will hit Disney+ on December 29, following the Star Wars universe’s iconic bounty hunter of the same name.