What does The Acolyte’s demise mean for the future of Star Wars?

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What does The Acolyte's demise mean for the future of Star Wars?

As a queer, brown woman who has spent far too many years navigating the treacherous waters of Hollywood and its corporate overlords, I find myself deeply saddened yet unsurprised by the latest developments in the world of nerd properties. The fact that James Gunn’s new DC Universe is gearing up to be as white as a Weezer concert feels like a step back into the 90s, and it breaks my heart to see the lack of representation for women and non-white showrunners and directors in these iconic roles.

As a dedicated Star Wars gamer, I can tell you that The Acolyte made quite an impact when it debuted. It was the first live-action Star Wars show on Disney+ set in the High Republic era, breaking new ground for small screen productions within this universe. Not only that, but it had the honor of being the first live-action Star Wars show to be helmed by a woman, Leslye Headland, as its showrunner – although The Bad Batch beat it to the finish line in terms of all Star Wars programming.

Last night, it was announced that The Acolyte would not be renewed for another season, despite creator Niel Harnland having clear plans for future installments. It’s believed that lower viewership, which seems to be part of a broader trend in 2024 streaming viewership affecting even recent Netflix original movies, significantly contributed to the show’s cancellation. However, it’s also important to note that Disney has recently become less inclined to grant multiple seasons to its major Disney+ shows. The Percy Jackson series is an exception, but Willow, National Treasure: Edge of History, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, and American Born Chinese were all cancelled after just one season over the last two years. Since Bob Iger’s return to Disney, there has been a significant shift towards more fiscal responsibility in terms of investing large sums of money into streaming content.

In simpler terms, this implies that the number of live-action Star Wars shows being produced may decrease. Currently, Skeleton Crew and a second season of Andor are on their way, with the former starting in December and the latter coming out next year. However, there’s no news about a fourth season of The Mandalorian or the second season of Ahsoka anytime soon. In 2022, we saw three seasons worth of new live-action Star Wars programming, but it seems unlikely that this pace will be maintained in the future.

In 2026, two highly anticipated “Star Wars” movies, such as “The Mandalorian & Grogu,” are scheduled for cinematic release. This has prompted Disney and Lucasfilm to focus on reviving the franchise for the big screen. As a result, it appears that only one season of “Star Wars” content will be released annually, starting from 2025. This decision to cancel “The Acolyte” show seems to be driven by this desire to bring “Star Wars” back to theaters and Disney’s broader strategy to reduce the frequency of high-profile streaming programs. However, they will still produce spectacular shows on Disney+, just not as frequently.

As a dedicated Star Wars fan who has grown up with the franchise and followed its evolution over the years, I must say that the recent news about the future of original stories in the Star Wars universe leaves me both excited and slightly apprehensive. On one hand, I’m thrilled to see the exploration of new time periods, like James Mangold’s movie taking us to the dawn of the Jedi, a territory never before ventured into in Star Wars media. This kind of expansion feels fresh and promises to add depth to the rich tapestry that is the Star Wars universe.

It appears that the cancellation of “The Acolyte” and the predominantly male leads in upcoming “Star Wars” projects could indicate a growing trend in popular culture: a move away from diverse leads towards more traditional white male protagonists. It’s important to note that “The Acolyte” didn’t require special treatment or another season solely because it had a Black lead character or a queer creator. However, it’s concerning that the future of geek-oriented properties seems to be returning to on-screen demographics that would excite figures like Ike Perlmutter, known for his preference for white male characters.

The Hunt for Gollum, we can expect predominantly white lead casts. This pattern is seen across many upcoming productions.

These reflections don’t express hope for the renewal of The Acolyte. Instead, they highlight the fact that we can’t rely on corporations or pop culture representation to provide solutions. From 2018-2022, Marvel Studios, Warner Bros./DC, and Lucasfilm made token gestures towards diversity, but they are still profit-driven entities.

Surely, he would express that viewpoint. Being a wealthy, straight, white man, he doesn’t encounter the political backlash that Ingram, Tran, John Boyega, and Amandla Stenberg (to name a few) have faced for merely being part of this distant galaxy. Instead, he can enjoy watching from his mansion, disassociated from the ongoing struggles due to systemic racism in our contemporary world.

The cancellation of “The Acolyte” doesn’t automatically imply that Disney/Lucasfilm executives were being racist or biased in any way. It could simply be that the show failed to meet expectations, as it faced criticisms regarding its pacing, tendency to prioritize mysteries over other aspects, and difficulties in delivering a cohesive episodic narrative. However, the fact that this particular show seems to have flopped might contribute to a concerning pattern of Hollywood neglecting creators of color and other underrepresented artists.

It’s been consistently demonstrated that corporations can’t be counted upon to produce quality art that authentically mirrors the complexities of our world and its diverse human experiences, including great queer art such as “D.E.B.S.”, “Working Girls”, “The Watermelon Woman”, “Desert Hearts”, “Portrait of a Lady on Fire”, “Moonlight”, and many more. These masterpieces were predominantly created outside the studio system. This doesn’t mean that all queer representation in mainstream movies and TV shows are flawed or that it’s wrong to appreciate such representation (I, for one, am a fan of “Blockers”). However, these instances are exceptions rather than the rule within the broader cultural landscape.

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2024-08-21 01:45