It may still take a year before The Acolyte hits Disney+, but the new Star Wars series is now the talk of the town. Many are now intrigued by its “no war” theme, but its star Manny Jacinto recently revealed an iconic The Phantom Menace battle inspired the new show’s action-packed scenes.
Despite being the only Star Wars show with no war, The Acolyte promises individual battles that will set the bar for action sequences in the franchise. Sure, fans are used to seeing epic warfare in the galaxy far, far away, but this one will still feel very familiar.
The Phantom Menace Scene That Inspired The Acolyte
In an interview on Entertainment Weekly’s Dagobah Dispatch podcast, Jacinto revealed that if fans loved the fights in The Phantom Menace, they would surely like what they’re about to see in The Acolyte. “If you loved that sequence with Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan and Darth Maul, I think you're going to enjoy this show,” he said.
The 35-year-old talked about the iconic "Duel of the Fates" that saw Darth Maul fighting against the tag team duo of Obi-Wan Kenobi and Qui-Gon Jinn in The Phantom Menace. By the looks of it, this epic battle, composed of a lot of flips, twists, and martial arts moves, inspires the action sequences fans are about to see in The Acolyte.
"You'll love this,” Dafne Keen, who’s also part of the interview along with Charlie Barnett, teased.
The Acolyte’s ‘Tangible Physical Moves’ and The ‘Lack of Guns’
But Barnett claimed that The Acolyte has more “tangible physical moves” than The Phantom Menace’s “Duel of the Fates.” He even bragged about the series’ “awesome stunt team,” who have done their action scenes without cables, CGI, and a lot of effects, making these fights look more natural. e
“I mean, I know I've been hit on the head a couple times,” he said.
Alternatively, Jacinto made another big reveal, saying the series has a “lack of guns.” “I don't know if I'm allowed to say this, but I will just say it. There's a lack of guns,” he stated.
For him, this makes the fights in the series appear real instead of just pointing and shooting a gun at the enemy. “It actually looks like a real fight as opposed to just I point and I shoot, which is kind of an easy cop-out in a way. We get a lot of that body-to-body,” he explained.
What The Acolyte is About?
Set at the end of the High Republic era, The Acolyte explores “shadowy secrets and emerging dark side powers” about a hundred years before the events of The Phantom Menace. A former Padawan (Stenberg) and her Jedi Master (Lee Jung-Jae) reunite to discover the truth behind the series of crimes around the galaxy. Little did they know that a much bigger conspiracy was hiding behind this.
The Acolyte will be another great addition to the growing Star Wars shows that fans must wait to see. The series is scheduled for release in 2024 on Disney+.
