Forget Leslye Headland, Kathleen Kennedy should have hired Bryce Dallas Howard for the way she handled one relationship in The Mandalorian.

Leslye Headland did not do a convincing enough job to get Disney to approve a second season for The Acolyte. The show could’ve beaten all odds and went on to achieve The Mandalorian-level success by doing a few things right. There was indeed one person from Star Wars‘ most successful TV series, who could’ve done justice to the storyline exploring the dark side.

Pedro Pascal, Julia Jones, and Gina Carano in Sanctuary in The Mandalorian | Credits: Lucasfilm

The Mandalorian brought in actress Bryce Dallas Howard to direct an episode for each of its three seasons. Dallas’ directorial prowess was clearly visible in the Season One episode Sanctuary, which explored the human side of Din Djarin. She also hit the right spots with one of the most beautiful relationships in the Disney Star Wars world.

Star Wars Should Have Brought Back Bryce Dallas Howard In The Acolyte Instead Of Leslye Headland

Bryce Dallas Howard in Argylle | Credits: AppleTV+

Besides her acting career, Bryce Dallas Howard often follows in the footsteps of her father Ron Howard in filmmaking. Howard joined Jon Favreau‘s The Mandalorian as the director of the episode Sanctuary. The episode became one of the fan favorites in the critically acclaimed season, thanks to performances from Gina Carano and Julia Jones.

Howard did a great job at depicting the space village in this episode. Pedro Pascal‘s titular character forms a connection with Jones’ Omera. Interestingly, this connection arc and Omera’s character was something that Howard brought to the series. She talked about the same with Collider when she appeared at Fan Expo Canada. She shared:

I will not take much credit for anything in The Mandalorian, because that is Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni, and, of course, George [Lucas], yes, right? And so I will not take much credit for anything except for this. I love romance. I love romance. I love it. I love it. I love it.

She further explained that she wanted to explore the sort of tension the titular character undergoes when he has a devoted job, but yet falls in love. It was a subtle yet satisfying storyline for Pascal’s character. Interestingly, she could have portrayed another romance in a more nuanced manner in the Star Wars universe.

Howard could’ve easily replaced Leslye Headland as the creator of The Acolyte. Lucasfilm had few options to continue The Acolyte, which had a budget of $180 million, for a second season. The viewership was believed to be the lowest for a Star Wars series finale.

Bryce Dallas Howard Could’ve Helmed The Acolyte And Portrayed One Storyline Perfectly

Amandla Stenberg and Manny Jacinto in Leslye Headland’s The Acolyte | Credits: Lucasfilm

When The Acolyte premiered its sixth episode, fans were excited to have a couple to ship in the series. Osha and Qimir had an interesting dynamic just like Reylo in the sequel series. However, as the series progressed, the relationship did not turn out the way fans wanted.

With Bryce Dallas Howard’s experience in portraying an amazing romance in The Mandalorian, she could’ve easily carried the Oshamir romance in a different direction. While Kathleen Kennedy and Jon Favreau brought back Howard to direct two more episodes in Pascal’s series, the Lucasfilm president missed out on the opportunity to bring her for The Acolyte.

The Mandalorian and The Acolyte are now available for streaming on Disney+.