“Star Wars” spinoff “The Acolyte” announced new additions to its cast Monday, including “The Matrix” star Carrie-Anne Moss and “Logan” and “The Golden Compass” breakout Dafne Keen.
The Disney+ series, which began production Monday in the U.K. under creator and showrunner Leslye Headland, has also added Rebecca Henderson (“Inventing Anna”) and Dean Charles Chapman (“1917”).
Previously announced cast includes Amandla Stenberg (“The Hate U Give”), Emmy Award winner Lee Jung-jae (“Squid Game”), Manny Jacinto (“Nine Perfect Strangers”), Jodie Turner-Smith (“Queen & Slim”) and Charlie Barnett (“Russian Doll”).
“The Acolyte” is “a mystery-thriller that will take viewers into a galaxy of shadowy secrets and emerging dark-side powers in the final days of the High Republic era. A former Padawan reunites with her Jedi Master to investigate a series of crimes, but the forces they confront are more sinister than they ever anticipated.”
Moss was last seen starring opposite Keanu Reeves, revisiting her role of Trinity in 2021’s “The Matrix Resurrections.”
News of Keen’s casting were first rumored last week after Jeff Sneider claimed via his podcast that “Dafne Keen, who played X-23 in ‘Logan,’ is going to be joining ‘The Acolyte.’ Don’t have any official confirmation on that yet. I expect there to be in the next couple weeks, maybe.”
In the larger “Star Wars” timeline, it is known that “The Acolyte” takes place 100 years before “Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace” when the Jedi are at the height of their powers.
Headland will lead the U.K. set as creator, showrunner and executive producer. Also executive producing are Kathleen Kennedy, Simon Emanuel, Jeff F. King and Jason Micallef. Rayne Roberts and Damian Anderson are producing. Headland will also direct the series pilot.
