Disney spends $49 million on new Star Wars series The Acolyte's pre-production

Disney revealed its pre-production spend on its new series The Acolyte, which takes place 100 years before Star Wars: The Phantom Menace.

According to Forbes, Disney spent $49.2m (£38.3m) on the new Star Wars series heading to Disney Plus.

The eight episode series was filmed in London, and Madeira, Portugal as well as using StageCraft, a method of virtual production composed of a video wall designed by Industrial Light & Magic developed for The Mandalorian.

Per Forbes, the cost is £4.3m more than Disney spent on the 2016 film Rogue One's pre-production. It's still lower than Andor, on which Disney spent 38% more, however this is likely due to the COVID protocols and procedures which required a higher budget.

Compared to Star Wars' films, The Acolyte spend is still high. The Last Jedi cost Disney only 17% more on pre-production.

The Acolyte stars Amandla Stenberg, Lee Jung-jae (Squid Game), Manny Jacinto (Nine Perfect Strangers), Dafne Keen (His Dark Materials), Jodie Turner-Smith (Queen & Slim), Rebecca Henderson (Inventing Anna), Charlie Barnett (Russian Doll), Dean-Charles Chapman (1917) and Carrie-Anne Moss (The Matrix).

Leslye Headland created The Acolyte and serves as showrunner and executive producer and is directing the first episode. Lucasfilm's Kathleen Kennedy, Simon Emanuel, Jeff F. King, and Jason Micallef are executive producing, with Rayne Roberts and Damian Anderson producing.