Yesterday evening in Hollywood, California, the cast and creative team behind Lucasfilm’s highly anticipated new live-action series Star Wars: The Acolyte gathered at the Disney-operated El Capitan Theatre to celebrate the upcoming release of the show and screen its first two episodes.
Image via Disney.
Update 5/30/24: Lucasfilm has shared a new video of the event cut together from red-carpet interviews with the cast and creator of The Acolyte.
Watch The Acolyte Launch Event Recap:
But celebrities weren’t the only people in attendance– I was beyond honored to be invited to this premiere by Lucasfilm on behalf of Laughing Place, among other members of the Star Wars fan media community. Naturally I had to bring along my Stellan Gios lightsaber from Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge to represent The High Republic.
Approaching the El Capitan, the energy built as I spotted The Acolyte key art on the theater’s marquee and the red carpet stretching down Hollywood Boulevard. And as my friend Nick pointed out, it felt somewhat ironic and appropriate to see actress Daisy Ridley’s face peering down at another Star Wars premiere, though that billboard is for her new film The Young Woman and the Sea (also being released through Disney).
After I picked up my credential at Will Call, I made my way down a path alongside the red carpet, where I could see the celebrity arrivals and interviews taking place. There was also a basketball trophy of some sort on display, thought I’m still not sure what that was all about.
But speaking of displays, one of the coolest things about attending The Acolyte Launch Event was getting to see the lightsaber props from the series up-close, plus the costume worn by actress Amandla Stenberg as the character Mae.
Inside the theater’s lobby, guests were handed lightsaber-themed churros, while in the auditorium (as per usual) the El Capitan’s acclaimed organist Rob Richards entertained the crowd before the feature presentation.
And what would a Star Wars premiere be without Richards dipping into John Williams’s iconic Main Title theme music on the pipe organ?
As for The Acolyte itself, the below embedded tweet represents my initial thoughts, but stay tuned to Laughing Place as the show approaches its release for more thorough reviews and in-depth recaps of each episode.
Below are some red-carpet photos provided to us by Disney of the stars and creators of The Acolyte arriving to the Launch Event, including Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy, Chief Creative Officer Dave Filoni, showrunner Leslye Headland, composer Michael Abels, and cast members Amandla Stenberg, Lee Jung-jae, Manny Jacinto, Dafne Keen, Charlie Barnett, Jodie Turner-Smith, Rebecca Henderson, Dean-Charles Chapman, Joonas Suotamo, and Carrie-Anne Moss.
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Star Wars: The Acolyte will debut with its first two episodes on Tuesday evening, June 4th, exclusively via Disney+.