The Acolyte,” which premiered last week on Disney Plus, introduces Jedis who lived during the “High Republic” era that existed before the more famous Luke Skywalker film series.
After two episodes, the series pleased critics while a hopeful audience trashed it online with a 28% score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Disney famously put “The Acolyte” in the hands of its creator Leslye Headland, a creative but bizarre writer and director who is an open lesbian. As the the series showrunner, Headland cast Amanda Stenberg, a lead actress who says she is nonbinary and uses “they/them” pronouns. Headland has also cast a transgender woman --- a man --- named Abigail Thorn, who plays a High Republic ensign.
“I think that Star Wars is so gay already,” Stenberg jokingly told TheWrap in a recent interview.
“Are you telling me, with a straight face, that C-3PO is straight?” Headland, also laughing, added.
Ted Baehr, chairman of the Christian Film and Television Commission, tells AFN companies such as Disney and Pixar are "destroying their brand" because they’re losing their audience. The reason they’re losing their audience, he says, is because people disagree with Disney’s definition of “diversity” in film and T.V.
“And they're making decisions,” Baehr says, “based on pressure that they get."
Disney Corp. and its investors got crushed with four box office flops in 2023, including "The Marvels" movie that cost the company approximately $230 million. Disney lost $143 million with its Indiana Jones film.
Disney-owned Pixar released the film "Elemental" last year with the first nonbinary character, Lake Ripple, that was voiced by a nonbinary anchor. The film cost $200 million to produce but only made $30 million at the box office.
Last month, Pixar announced it was laying off 14% of its workforce, about 175 employees.
