Queer actress Amandla Stenberg, best known for her roles in such films as The Hate U Give and Dear Evan Hansen has landed the lead in the upcoming Disney+/Lucasfilm Star Wars series The Acolyte.
Variety reports that the 23-year-old actress has entered final negotiations to play the lead in the new series, set long before the Prequel Trilogy era. Plot details remain predictably mum, though the official synopsis describes the show as a “female-centric mystery-thriller.”
Queer writer Leslye Headland, co-creator of Russian Doll, will produce and showrun the series. In previous interviews, Headland had spoken about her intention and the importance of including queer characters in the Star Wars franchise.
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Variety further reports that the show is set during the so-called “High Republic Era,” a time of galactic peace and prosperity prior to the outbreak of the Clone Wars and the resurgence of the Sith. That era ended about 50 years prior to the events of The Phantom Menace. The outlet further speculates that the show will follow a Sith apprentice.
Stenberg, who scored her breakout role as Ru in the hit film The Hunger Games, identifies as gay and non-binary, having come out in 2018. In addition to her acting work, Stenberg has won awards for her feminist activism from the Ms. Foundation for Women.
The Acolyte is set to debut on Disney+ in 2022.
THAT Steve
Good news for a franchise that for decades had only two important female roles…