Star Wars: TheAcolyteunveiled its first footage today, and along with the release, showrunnerLeslye Headlandhas been sharing more information about the next Disney+ series from the franchise. This included revealing the runtimes that fans can expect from the show’s episodes.
The Acolyte
Star Wars series that take viewers into a galaxy of shadowy secrets and emerging dark-side powers in the final days of the High Republic era.
Speaking withCollider, Headland was asked the age-old question that every fan wants to know about upcoming big shows; how long will each episode be and what is the combined runtime of the series. Headland replied:
“About 30 minutes, yeah. I would say some of them are a little bit longer, like the finale, I think it’s 40 minutes. But there are also some that I think are barely 30 minutes. On average, I would say somewhere between like 30-35 [minutes].”
While this may seem a little on the short side, it does fall in line with manyotherStar Warsshows such asObi-Wan Kenobi. However, while the Ewan McGregor project was originally conceived as a movie-style story that was later pivoted to a six-episode series,The Acolyteis a completely different beast to Headland, who really does not see the whole thing as a movie in several parts. She explained:
“You know, I don’t. I would consider Russian Doll that. I think that it was this continuous [thing], like a really good album. It was meant to be sat and watched and listened to and all that kind of stuff. But I actually think that it is a more weekly experience, and I think it’s good that it’s a weekly experience because I think when you’re dealing with really heavy issues, especially in Star Wars, I think having a break for a week is actually a good idea. Because when Luke says in The Last Jedi, ‘It’s time for the Jedi to end,’ it might be nice to have a week after that, you know what I mean? Like, what does that mean? Let’s have a capital-D discourse about it. So I don’t see it as a four-hour movie, no.”
The Acolyte Looks Set to be Another Popular Star Wars Series
First reactionstoThe Acolyte’s trailerhave been mostly positive, and that certainly bodes well for the arrival of the series in June. TheStar Warsfranchise has included many Disney+ TV shows in the last decade, and it is hard to deny that most of these have been a runaway success.
The Acolyteis not the only newStar Warsshow heading to screens soon, with the Jude Law-ledSkeleton Crewexpected to debut later this year andAndorSeason 2 also coming down the line. Of course, the franchise will be looking to reclaim its theatrical footing in the coming years with four confirmed movies and several others in various stages of development.
Patty Jenkins' Rogue Squadron Star Wars Movie May Not Be Cancelled Yet
The Wonder Woman director has revealed that she still has a deal with Lucasfilm and “owes” them a script for Rogue Squadron.
However, it is unlikely that Disney and Lucasfilm will be completely abandoning their Disney+ offerings, as the franchise is expanding in many new ways with its upcoming movies, and there will be plenty of gaps opening up in the timeline that could be fleshed out through several more new series.
The Acolytewill debut on Disney+ on Jul 28, 2025.
