Star Wars fans were treated to the premiere of the new Star Wars series The Acolyte on Disney+ on Tuesday.
But in a recent one New York Times profile, The Acolyte creator Leslye Headland appeared to reveal that her series is now the most expensive Star Wars show to date, according Just shocked.
Headland said the series – the first two episodes of which were released on Disney’s streaming service – cost “about $180 million” over eight episodes.
That would make the series even more expensive than the popular Star Wars series The Mandalorian, which has aired three seasons on Disney+ so far.
The series – which also stars Amandla Stenberg, Jodie Turner-Smith and Carrie-Anne Moss – is said to have cost around $22.5 million per episode, although the pilot episode and early scene-setting episodes often receive larger budgets than later episodes .
The Acolyte’s creator, Leslye Headland, told the New York Times that the Star Wars series will cost about $180 million for an eight-episode season; Jodie Turner-Smith pictured on The Acolyte
That means a budget of about $22.5 million per episode, more than the hugely expensive series The Mandalorian, which costs about $15 million per episode.
That budget per episode that would also make The Acolyte one of the most expensive shows ever made.
The Wall Street Journal reported earlier in 2019 that the first season of The Mandalorian cost about $120 million to make, which worked out to about $15 million for each of the eight episodes.
However, it is unclear whether the budget has remained stable for the show’s second and third seasons.
Although the series starring Pedro Pascal, in which he plays a Boba Fett-like Mandalorian bounty hunter, is popular with Star Wars fans and Disney+ subscribers, it is unclear whether the series will ever get a fourth season.
There will be a feature film sequel, the Jon Favreau-directed The Mandalorian & Grogu, set for release in Spring 2026, and the show’s universe has already been expanded to include spin-offs The Book Of Boba Fett, Ahsoka and the upcoming Skeleton. Crew.
Disney is reportedly in a holding pattern as it plans to see how Favreau’s film performs at the box office before deciding whether to greenlight more seasons.
A successful Star Wars film could also prompt Disney to focus on additional Mandalorian films instead, as these would potentially be much more profitable than additional seasons of the show.
Dave Filoni, who produces the show and writes Favreau’s film, was announced in 2023 as director of a future film concluding the bounty hunter series, though few details have been released.
It’s unclear if The Mandalorian will return for a fourth season, as a movie is scheduled for release in 2026
The Acolyte is set in the past of the Star Wars universe, approximately 100 years before the events of Episode I – The Phantom Menace, in the waning days of the High Republic era
Lee Jung-jae (pictured) plays the Jedi Master Sol, who investigates a series of crimes
Amandla Stenberg plays dual roles as sisters Osha and Mae, who warn Sol of a growing threat; pictured on May 28 in London
Other hugely expensive shows in recent years include HBO’s Game Of Thrones. The dark fantasy series originally cost around $8 million per episode, but in the final season the cost per episode increased to around $15 million, on par with The Mandalorian.
At $130 million per season, The Crown was previously thought to be one of the most expensive streaming series to date, but the Netflix series had 10 episodes instead of eight, so its per-episode budget was lower than The Mandalorian or The Acolyte.
The Acolyte is set in the past of the Star Wars universe, approximately 100 years before the events of Episode I – The Phantom Menace, in the waning days of the High Republic era.
Lee Jung-jae plays the Jedi Master Sol, who investigates a series of crimes, while Stenberg plays dual roles as the sister Osha and Mae, who warn Sol of a growing threat.
