Leslye Headland Says Content Being Made About Star Wars Could Have More Cultural Impact Than the Films Themselves

Leslye Headland, the creator of the short-lived Star Wars series “The Acolyte,” believes that content created around Star Wars could end up having more cultural influence than the films and shows themselves.

The series, which launched on Disney+ in June 2024, failed spectacularly. It was canceled after just one season in August 2024 due to low viewership and overspending. While early reports suggested a $180 million budget, new filings show the production actually cost $230.8 million at current rates.

Ironically, the show, which featured strong, empowered female characters, reportedly underpaid real women on set. The filings revealed that in April 2023, only 30% of the 695-person crew were women, and their average hourly wage was 19.4% lower than that of their male colleagues. This is especially striking given the series’ focus on diverse characters and female empowerment on screen.

Headland told reporters that she was not entirely surprised by the cancellation. “I was not surprised by [the cancellation]. I think I was surprised at the swiftness of it and the publicness of it,” she said.

“I was surprised by how it was handled. But once I was getting particular phone calls about the reaction and the criticism and the viewership, I felt like ‘OK, the writing’s on the wall for sure.'”

The experience also gave Headland insight into how online creators are influencing media. She observed that YouTube reviews, recaps, live streams, and fan commentary about the series generated significant ad revenue for independent creators. “The content that is being put out by the streamers or the studios is being snatched up by these other creators, and so commentaries, synopses, live videos, all of the ways that these creators make money — through viewer-based ad revenues and their Patreons — there’s a lot of money to be made,” she explained.

“And by the way, have at it. Get your coin 100%. But it revealed to me that there is a misunderstanding between the studios and that engagement. They think of it as fandom, and in ways it is, but studios use it almost like this focus group.”

Headland believes that as fan content and commentary continue to grow, it could overshadow the original Star Wars projects in terms of cultural impact. “The content being made about ‘Star Wars’ will be more culturally impactful than actual ‘Star Wars.’ Those IPs will continue to make money, but I don’t know how much they will affect the next generation as much as the content that is being created around those events, IP films and television shows.”

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