Lee Jung-jae’s “The Acolyte”, director reacts strongly to racism controversy “Not true ‘Star Wars’ fans”

“The Acolyte” features a diverse cast, including Lee Jung-jae, Amandla Stenberg (of African descent), Manny Jacinto (of Filipino descent) and Jodie Turner-Smith (of African descent).

Director Leslye Headland, in an interview with The New York Times on May 29th (local time), stated, “I want to be clear. Anyone who engages in bigotry, racism or hate speech… I don’t consider a fan.“

Headland also criticized misogynistic fans, saying, “I think a lot of the women who step into ‘Star Wars’ struggle with this a bit more. Because of the fan base being so male dominated, they sometimes get attacked in ways that can be quite personal.“

With a production budget of $180 million, “The Acolyte” follows a Jedi investigation into a series of crimes. It will premiere on June 5th, with the first two episodes released initially and one episode released every Wednesday, totaling eight episodes.