THE ACOLYTE Creator's "Guiding Principle" For The STAR WARS Show Was "What Would George [Lucas] do?"

Before The Acolyte got the axe in 2024, the team behind the Disney+ Star Wars series was following a very specific mantra, one that came from its creator, Leslye Headland: “What would George do?According to cinematographer Chris Teague, it was baked into the foundation of the show’s visual language. In a recent conversation with Gold Derby, Teague opened up about the creative mindset that drove their approach to filming. He explained: “Leslye would always say, ‘What would George do? What would George think?’ And that was our guiding principle.”Set during the High Republic era, The Acolyte followed the intertwined paths of Mae and Osha, who where twin sisters played by Amandla Stenberg caught up in a dark mystery sparked by the murder of a Jedi Master, portrayed by Carrie-Anne Moss. The series aimed to explore the rising shadow on the edge of the Jedi's golden age.Teague described their cinematography as rooted in “elegant simplicity,” something George Lucas himself championed in the original 1977 Star Wars. “If we're going to move the camera, it needs to mean something. It needs to underline some part of the narrative, or it needs to be connected to some aspect of the choreography, or something like that.”The creative team were looking to do something with different and unique with this show, but for whatever reason, Disney pulled the plug on the show. Reports cited declining viewership as the main reason, but other reports say that the viewership was actually decent. In the end, for better or worse, the series was made with the constant thought of what would George Lucas do? The question is, did you see Lucas’ influence on the series while you were watching it?

Jun 3, 2025 - 22:10

THE ACOLYTE Creator's "Guiding Principle" For The STAR WARS Show Was "What Would George [Lucas] do?"

Before The Acolyte got the axe in 2024, the team behind the Disney+ Star Wars series was following a very specific mantra, one that came from its creator, Leslye Headland: “What would George do?

According to cinematographer Chris Teague, it was baked into the foundation of the show’s visual language. In a recent conversation with Gold Derby, Teague opened up about the creative mindset that drove their approach to filming. He explained:

“Leslye would always say, ‘What would George do? What would George think?’ And that was our guiding principle.”

Set during the High Republic era, The Acolyte followed the intertwined paths of Mae and Osha, who where twin sisters played by Amandla Stenberg caught up in a dark mystery sparked by the murder of a Jedi Master, portrayed by Carrie-Anne Moss. The series aimed to explore the rising shadow on the edge of the Jedi's golden age.

Teague described their cinematography as rooted in “elegant simplicity,” something George Lucas himself championed in the original 1977 Star Wars.

“If we're going to move the camera, it needs to mean something. It needs to underline some part of the narrative, or it needs to be connected to some aspect of the choreography, or something like that.”

The creative team were looking to do something with different and unique with this show, but for whatever reason, Disney pulled the plug on the show. Reports cited declining viewership as the main reason, but other reports say that the viewership was actually decent.

In the end, for better or worse, the series was made with the constant thought of what would George Lucas do? The question is, did you see Lucas’ influence on the series while you were watching it?