By George & Josh Bate
Courtesy of Gizmodo, a special look at The Art of The Acolyte showcases early designs of Manny Jacintos’s harrowing villain.
Check out pages from The Art of The Acolyte featuring concept art of The Stranger below….
The book reveals that series creator Leslye Headland wanted The Stranger’s helmet to have a “sinister smile.” Concept artist Nick Tyrrell said, “Leslye wanted it to feel like a sensory deprivation helmet with an uneasy smile. By creating the shape from his breathing apparatus, which stretches across the center, you get a sinister smile without it feeling like the Stranger made it this way on purpose.”
A species dating back to the original Star Wars was also a source of inspiration for the design team. “In early designs, we toyed with the idea of the mask being reminiscent of the Bith species. This initial idea evolved to what we see on screen,” Tyrell continued. “The feeling we wanted this mask to give off is that the Stranger is basically a Sith on a budget—he has had to make this mask himself from cortosis metal and then welded it into shape to the best of his abilities, with limited resources.”