The Acolyte: Leslye Headland talks lightsabers

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With The Acolyte forging ahead in a new era, taking bold steps to lay out this new era with unfamiliar characters and worlds, one thing showrunner Leslye Headland wanted to secure was the lightsabers and her wish for them to be as swift as they were in the prequel trilogy – but with the built-in light that CGI would usually add afterwards. That was a task for the props department to tackle before filming began.

CHRISTIAN BLACK / LUCASFILM LTD

“I want to use the type of lightsabers that you can actually duel with as opposed to utilizing sticks that you then CGI in later.”

Headland even learnt lessons from the sequel trilogy of Star Wars films, which featured heavier, bulkier lightsabers for its actors to throw down with. “That affected the way Daisy [Ridley] and Adam [Driver] fought because they wanted to have that practical lighting,” Headland explained.

Instead, the showrunner asked the props team “to create lightsabers that could be utilized the way Darth Maul or Qui-Gon Jinn use them, but they also had to light up for the practical light effects”.

Headland added: “I do have to thank the props department for making that happen – it did start with them saying we can’t do that!”

Sale
STAR WARS The Black Series Padawan Jecki Lon, The Acolyte Collectible 6-Inch Action Figure
  • STAR WARS: THE ACOLYTE: This action figure is inspired by the live-action series on Disney+ -- a great gift for collectors and fans ages 4 and up
  • PREMIUM DESIGN AND ARTICULATION: Star Wars fans and collectors can display this 6 inch action figure (15 cm) -- featuring premium design and multiple points of articulation, including a soft goods robe -- in their collections
  • SERIES-INSPIRED ACCESSORIES: This Padawan Jecki Lon figure comes with a Lightsaber accessory, including a removable blade
  • WINDOW BOX PACKAGING: Display Star Wars fandom on your shelf with window box packaging featuring sleek character design
  • BUILD YOUR INTERSTELLAR SCENE: Look for more Star Wars Black Series action figures to build a collection of galactic proportions on your shelf! (Each sold separately. Subject to availability)
Mark Newbold
Mark Newbold
Exploring the galaxy since 1978, Mark wrote his first fan fiction in 1981 and been a presence online since his first webpage Fanta War in 1996. He's contributed to Star Wars Insider (since '06) and Starburst Magazine (since '16) as well as ILM.com, SkywalkerSound.com, StarWars.com, Star Wars Encyclopedia, Build The Millennium Falcon, Geeky Monkey, TV Film Memorabilia, Model and Collectors Mart, Star Trek magazine and StarTrek.com. He is a four-time Star Wars Celebration Stage host, the only podcaster to have appeared on every Celebration podcast stage since the stage began in 2015, the Daily Content Manager of Fantha Tracks and the co-host of Making Tracks, Canon Fodder and Start Your Engines on Fantha Tracks Radio.
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- Advertisement -

With The Acolyte forging ahead in a new era, taking bold steps to lay out this new era with unfamiliar characters and worlds, one thing showrunner Leslye Headland wanted to secure was the lightsabers and her wish for them to be as swift as they were in the prequel trilogy – but with the built-in light that CGI would usually add afterwards. That was a task for the props department to tackle before filming began.

CHRISTIAN BLACK / LUCASFILM LTD

“I want to use the type of lightsabers that you can actually duel with as opposed to utilizing sticks that you then CGI in later.”

Headland even learnt lessons from the sequel trilogy of Star Wars films, which featured heavier, bulkier lightsabers for its actors to throw down with. “That affected the way Daisy [Ridley] and Adam [Driver] fought because they wanted to have that practical lighting,” Headland explained.

Instead, the showrunner asked the props team “to create lightsabers that could be utilized the way Darth Maul or Qui-Gon Jinn use them, but they also had to light up for the practical light effects”.

Headland added: “I do have to thank the props department for making that happen – it did start with them saying we can’t do that!”

Sale
STAR WARS The Black Series Padawan Jecki Lon, The Acolyte Collectible 6-Inch Action Figure
  • STAR WARS: THE ACOLYTE: This action figure is inspired by the live-action series on Disney+ -- a great gift for collectors and fans ages 4 and up
  • PREMIUM DESIGN AND ARTICULATION: Star Wars fans and collectors can display this 6 inch action figure (15 cm) -- featuring premium design and multiple points of articulation, including a soft goods robe -- in their collections
  • SERIES-INSPIRED ACCESSORIES: This Padawan Jecki Lon figure comes with a Lightsaber accessory, including a removable blade
  • WINDOW BOX PACKAGING: Display Star Wars fandom on your shelf with window box packaging featuring sleek character design
  • BUILD YOUR INTERSTELLAR SCENE: Look for more Star Wars Black Series action figures to build a collection of galactic proportions on your shelf! (Each sold separately. Subject to availability)
Mark Newbold
Mark Newbold
Exploring the galaxy since 1978, Mark wrote his first fan fiction in 1981 and been a presence online since his first webpage Fanta War in 1996. He's contributed to Star Wars Insider (since '06) and Starburst Magazine (since '16) as well as ILM.com, SkywalkerSound.com, StarWars.com, Star Wars Encyclopedia, Build The Millennium Falcon, Geeky Monkey, TV Film Memorabilia, Model and Collectors Mart, Star Trek magazine and StarTrek.com. He is a four-time Star Wars Celebration Stage host, the only podcaster to have appeared on every Celebration podcast stage since the stage began in 2015, the Daily Content Manager of Fantha Tracks and the co-host of Making Tracks, Canon Fodder and Start Your Engines on Fantha Tracks Radio.
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