Disney+'s most eagerly-awaited Star Wars project will debut this summer

The next big Star Wars series from Disney+ is set to hit the streaming platform this summer, it is claimed.

Star Wars: The Acolyte stars Squid Game's Lee Jung-jae and is different to the majority of other shows released on Disney+ so far – it doesn't tie-in with The Mandalorian and isn't based in or around the Clone Wars.

Instead, it is set 50 years before Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, so is essentially the prequel to the prequel trilogy. It follows a Jedi Padawan and her one-time Master as the uncover a series of "sinister crimes".

Collider reports that the show will debut in the summer months, although an exact date is yet to be revealed. It also writes that The Acolyte has ties to The High Republic, a trilogy of novels from three different authors – Charles Soule, Cavan Scott and Claudia Gray.

Amandla Stenberg (The Hunger Games, Bodies Bodies Bodies) plays the Padawan, While Jung-jae is the Jedi Master. There's also a Wookie Jedi, Kelnacca, who's played by former professional basketball player, Joonas Suotamo. He also took over the Chewbacca role for the last few movies after the sad passing of Peter Mayhew.

Is there a trailer for The Acolyte

A trailer of Star Wars: The Acolyte was shown to a crowd attending the Star Wars Celebration convention last year but never fully released (nor surprisingly leaked). It's thought that a new trailer is due soon, however, with the production in the latter stages.

It is said that there will be eight episodes of the series in total, with creator Leslye Headland having written the first. Headland has been nominated for numerous awards in the past, including Best Comedy Series and New Series for Russian Doll by the Writers Guild of America.

Hopefully, her talent will shine through on a series that many are looking toward with eager eyes – can the streaming service finally repeat its Mandalorian success once more, but with something that isn't just a connected spin-off?