‘The Acolyte’ Creator Claims New Star Wars Content Could Outshine the Films Culturally

Leslye Headland, creator of the canceled Star Wars series “The Acolyte,” shared her thoughts on the changing landscape of how audiences interact with media, suggesting that content made about Star Wars might eventually have more cultural impact than the films themselves.

The series, which debuted on Disney+ in June 2024, flopped in the most magnificent way. The show was canceled after one season in August 2024 due to low viewership and budget issues, and by budget issues, I mean it had a bloated budget with little to show for it.

While early estimates put the budget at $180 million, new filings reveal that the total expenditure actually reached $230.8 million at current rates. The best part is definitely the fact that while on-screen boss babes were lecturing you regarding female empowerment, turns out actual women on set were underpaid.

The filings also revealed disparities in the production’s workforce. In early April 2023, only 30% of the 695 employees were female, and women’s average hourly pay was 19.4% lower than men’s.

“I was not surprised by [the cancellation]. I think I was surprised at the swiftness of it and the publicness of it,” Headland said. “I was surprised by how it was handled. But once I was getting particular phone calls about the reaction and the criticism and the viewership, I felt like ‘OK, the writing’s on the wall for sure.’”

Despite the cancellation, Headland found a valuable lesson in watching online creators who covered her show. Many of these content creators had followed her work for years and were now producing reviews, recaps, and live discussions about “The Acolyte,” generating revenue through ad views and platforms like Patreon.

“The content that is being put out by the streamers or the studios is being snatched up by these other creators, and so commentaries, synopses, live videos, all of the ways that these creators make money — through viewer-based ad revenues and their Patreons — there’s a lot of money to be made,” she said.

“And by the way, have at it. Get your coin 100%. But it revealed to me that there is a misunderstanding between the studios and that engagement. They think of it as fandom, and in ways it is, but studios use it almost like this focus group.”

Headland believes this trend could reshape the influence of Star Wars content in the future. “The content being made about ‘Star Wars’ will be more culturally impactful than actual ‘Star Wars.’ Those IPs will continue to make money, but I don’t know how much they will affect the next generation as much as the content that is being created around those events, IP films and television shows.”

“The Acolyte” debuted on Disney+ on June 4, 2024, with the first two episodes released together, followed by weekly episodes through July 16. While critics generally gave favorable reviews, the show turned out to be low-quality despite having a galactic-sized budget.

It had lower viewership than the previous Star Wars series. It was canceled in August 2024 due to high production costs and low ratings. Still, the series received recognition, including a Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Award nomination.

Headland’s reflections point to a growing influence of fan-driven content and online creators in shaping how major franchises like Star Wars are experienced. It raises an interesting question about the role of traditional media versus the conversation and commentary it sparks online.

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