Social media is abuzz with arguments about Star Wars‘ subsequent showrunner, creator of The Acolyte – but why is she so controversial? Star Wars‘ most up-to-date Disney+ Television show has proved exceptionally controversial, with The Acolyte assessment-bombed on Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic. Not all criticisms have been in excellent faith, and there is been some thinly-veiled racism and misogyny mixed in with genuine criticisms. Some has been directed at showrunner Leslye Headland in certain.

Born in 1980, Headland is properly recognized for the play and 2012 film Bachelorette, and the 2015 film Sleeping With Other People. Her significant break actually came with Russian Doll, although, and she wasted no time approaching Lucasfilm just after that achievement. “As soon as Russian Doll came out, I was like, ‘I’m calling Lucasfilm. That’s where I want to work. That’s what I want to do,’” she told THR. But Headland has proved to be anything of a controversial option, with substantial backlash on social media in certain. What are these criticisms, and what basis do they have in reality?

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How Well Does Leslye Headland Know Star Wars?

There have been some claims Headland is unfamiliar with Star Wars in common, and that she is not a “true fan” at all. In reality, although, she’s been component of the fandom for decades. “My relationship with Star Wars probably runs the span of most of my life,” she told The AV Club in an interview back in 2021. She recalled “devouring” the original trilogy on house video, and elsewhere has pointed out watching the Star Wars Special Editions in 1997.

Headland became deeply invested in the old Star Wars Expanded Universe, and regularly describes Timothy Zahn’s Heir to the Empire as 1 of the most impactful books she’s ever study. To once more quote from her interview with The AV Club:

“I loved just about every aspect of [Star Wars], from the planet-creating and Ralph McQuarrie’s production style to the hero’s journey of it all—Luke’s arc and what that meant. The image that normally hits me is from
Return Of The Jed
i, when Luke is calling out to his father and Vader is seeking back and forth involving the Emperor and his son, and you cannot see his face. Even to this day, I get chills considering about it. It had this massive impact on me.”

Headland has continued to enjoy Star Wars more than the years, and she’s credited each the prequel trilogy and Star Wars: The Clone Wars for influencing her show. She was especially interested in episodes involving the Nightsisters of Dathomir, which gave a diverse view of the Force. The influence is quick to see in the new Force cult she has designed for The Acolyte.

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Is Leslye Headland Trying To Make Star Wars Woke?

An old quote from Star Wars Celebration 2023 was recirculated by ideal-wing Twitter accounts just after The Acolyte trailer was released. This attempted to portray the Disney+ Television show as “woke,” focused purely on attempting to force diversity in the Star Wars franchise. The video even prompted a response from Elon Musk, who compared it to an episode of South Park that mocked diversity in Lucasfilm.

It’s critical to note, although, that Headland claims her story was inspired by the sisterly partnership involving Anna and Elsa in Frozen – an influence that is quite explicit, though extra antagonistic. In The Acolyte, the twins Osha and Mae had been separated years ago 1 has been raised by the Jedi, the other apparently by the Sith. While there is a lesbian partnership involving two secondary characters, the two ladies involved died 16 years ago, and their partnership is an critical plot point. All this suggests accusations of attempting to push some type of LGBTQ+ agenda in The Acolyte are logically overstated, if not nonsensical.

What Is Leslye Headland’s Connection To Harvey Weinstein?

Some of the most regarding attacks on Leslye Headland have come from her previous connection to Harvey Weinstein. Headland started her profession by functioning for six years at Miramax, serving as Weinstein’s individual assistant for a year. According to ABC News, Headland has insisted she was never ever physically assaulted by Weinstein, nor did she ever witness any incidents she did not precisely have a pleasant time at Miramax, nevertheless. Speaking to American Theater, she recalled getting screamed at in front of “a whole bunch of grown men,” and she came to think a man in that type of position of energy was untouchable.

That certain interview is an critical 1, mainly because it addresses the elephant in the area – Headland’s play Assistance, which is a thinly-veiled critique of her six years at Miramax, featuring a boss who’s clearly inspired by Weinstein. Headland is extremely cautious and precise in her comments, noting she could not even talk about specifics with her group at Playwrights Horizon “given that I was an ex-employee of the company and having signed everything that I signed.“ This final remark appears to hint at a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA). Weinstein and Miramax bosses are recognized to have utilized NDAs liberally to enforce silence.

The finish of Assistance is specifically relevant to this discussion, mainly because Headland admits everyone wanted her to uncover a way to “beat” the abusive boss, Daniel, the Weinstein stand-in. “In my head I was like, ‘You don’t,’” Headland recalled. “That guy always wins… I just thought men like that never go down. I was so shocked and so emboldened by the chorus of voices that brought him down. It makes me so happy – even saying that has been hard for me, because I’m still scared of him, to be honest.”

Two years later, proof surfaced that gave a disturbing context to Headland’s fears. Unsealed court documents revealed Weinstein had place with each other a “Red Flag List” of roughly 70 people today who he feared could be speaking to journalists below cover of anonymity back in 2017. Headland’s name was on Weinstein’s Red Flag List, and Weinstein attempted to employ private investigators to stress these people today. There is, fortunately, no proof he succeeded, but this alone suggests Headland’s fears had been justified.

The Star Wars fanbase remains divided more than The Acolyte. To be fair, there are excellent motives it is a bold step forward for the franchise, completely separate from the Skywalker saga, and Headland has hinted at alterations to Jedi and Sith lore. But not all of these criticisms are excellent faith, and genuine criticism is blending with attempts to attack Headland on a individual level – attacks that are either ill-founded, or never make a great deal sense. These 3 attack lines – that Headland does not know Star Wars, is “woke,” and is linked to Weinstein – look rather flawed.

The Acolyte

The Acolyte is a tv series set in the Star Wars universe at the finish of the High Republic Era, exactly where each the Jedi and the Galactic Empire had been at the height of their influence. This sci-fi thriller sees a former Padawan reunite with her former Jedi Master as they investigate quite a few crimes – all top to darkness erupting from beneath the surface and preparing to bring about the finish of the High Republic.

Cast

Dafne Keen , Lee Jung-jae , Amandla Stenberg , Jodie Turner-Smith , Joonas Suotamo , Carrie-Anne Moss , Margarita Levieva , Charlie Barnett , Dean-Charles Chapman

Writers

Leslye Headland , Charmaine De Grate , Kor Adana

Directors

Leslye Headland , Alex Garcia Lopez

Showrunner

Leslye Headland