Disney+ hasn't officially renewed The Acolyte for Season 2 yet, but showrunner Leslye Headland is already thinking about what more episodes could address.
In a spoiler-filled interview with Entertainment Weekly about this week's huge episode, Headland said she has "four or five major mysteries" she'd like to touch on in a potential second season. That being said, she isn't necessarily counting on it.
"Something that I've noticed is first seasons will end on what should have been the break into act two," she told EW. "It feels like everyone's really expecting [their shows] to get a second season, and I don't feel that's a good idea. I threw everything into Season 1, because who knows what's going to happen?"
Previously, Headland made similar comments in an interview with IGN, telling us that while she could "absolutely" see The Acolyte expanding beyond Season 1, she still wants it to feel like "a legitimately whole story" on its own.
Unfortunately, Headland didn't dive into details about what those mysteries could be, but there's at least one star who sounds very game to return if it does come back.
Warning: FULL SPOILERS for The Acolyte Episode 5 below.
Episode 5 trims some of the potential returning cast for Season 2, as Manny Jacinto's Qimir/Stranger killed both Dafne Keene's Jecki and Charlie Bennett's Yord in a bloodbath of a lightsaber fight. Jacinto, at least, sounds down to play the mysterious Sith Lord forever (Jacinto confirmed elsewhere in the EW interview that he his indeed a Sith Lord, answering a major lore question).
"When she first told me about the character, I was like, 'This is an actor's dream role to be able to do that switch. I need to do this,' " Jacinto told EW. "And that passion just fueled me all the way through until the end of filming. I don't really know how I can do anything else after this. I think I should just retire because I think this is it."
We still don't know, though, if The Acolyte will indeed get more episodes. Variety previously reported that its premiere episode drew 11.1 million viewers in its first five days of availability. While that was Disney+'s biggest premiere of 2024 so far, it was still 3 million below the five-day debut of Ahsoka, which was renewed for a second season.
In the meantime, IGN gave Episode 5 its highest score for the series yet with a 9/10, writing, "The Acolyte felt like it truly delivered on its promise in this episode, using its different era and the unfamiliarity we have with most of these characters to shake things up in a notably thrilling and harrowing way."
Alex Stedman is a Senior News Editor with IGN, overseeing entertainment reporting. When she's not writing or editing, you can find her reading fantasy novels or playing Dungeons & Dragons.
source https://www.ign.com/articles/the-acolyte-showrunner-has-4-or-5-major-mysteries-shed-like-to-address-in-potential-season-2