The Acolyte star "hoping" cancellation will be reversed, wants "to see further stories"

It was announced earlier this week that the Star Wars spin-off – set approximately 100 years prior to the events of The Phantom Menace – would not be returning for a second season.

Speaking to EW, Squid Game star Lee Jung-jae – who played Master Sol in The Acolyte – admitted that he was "quite surprised" by the news.

Though his character did not survive the events of the first season, meaning he likely wouldn't have appeared in any follow-up, Lee added that he was "really looking forward to watching a season 2" with showrunner Leslye Headland at the helm.

Just as some fans are campaigning for a stay of execution, Lee too hopes that Disney and Lucasfilm might revisit their decision not to renew the series.

"Honestly, I am hoping that maybe there could be changes in the future," he said. "Because you never know what's going to happen. So on a personal level, I really hope we could get to see further stories of Leslye’s second season."

The final episode of The Acolyte teased some tantalising connections to the wider Star Wars mythos with appearances from Yoda and Darth Plagueis, the mentor and Master of Darth Sidious, revealed here to also be the mentor of Qimir/The Stranger (Manny Jacinto).

Series boss Headland had previously confirmed to EW that a potential season 2 would have featured more of the Republic Senate, which featured in the finale via Jedi skeptic Senator Rayencourt (David Harewood) and Supreme Chancellor Drellik, and would also explore "more of Vern (Rebecca Henderson)'s history with the Stranger and how that's affecting the decisions she's making now."

• Read more: The Acolyte cancellation shouldn't mean the end of Star Wars' big swings

The Acolyte is available to stream on Disney Plus. Sign up to Disney Plus from £4.99 a month.

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