Director Hanelle M. Culpepper is particularly deserving of praise, whose episodes titled “Teach/Corrupt” and “The Acolyte” are the standouts of the series. These episodes not only have the best direction by far, but highlight the performances of the actors.
Visually, Hanelle M. Culpepper’s direction is stupendous. “Teach/Corrupt” is a more methodically paced episode of The Acolyte, and Culpepper turns this into a strength.
With its finale, The Acolyte ensures its place proper with the larger legacy of the Star Wars galaxy, sticking the landing with aplomb… This is great writing, through and through, as is everything surrounding it, heightened all the more by Culpepper’s steadfastly stupendous direction.
One striking element was the action and editing, directed by Hanelle Culpepper and her team. They managed to create some of the best sequences in the Star Wars franchise. The episode’s production quality received much praise, making it a highlight despite ongoing debates about the storyline.
After an action-packed, head-turning episode, The Acolyte Episode 6 allows viewers to catch their breath. Director Hanelle M. Culpepper takes fans deeper into the threads of emotions and truths that drive its characters.
Brady credits first-season director Hanelle Culpepper for helping her find the character and understanding her inner strength and solid foundation. “There was something about Hanelle’s input about the emotional light and the tempestuousness of this woman that set me off on this path,” Brady says.
Per Culpepper: “I’m excited for what’s ahead for this class, and I’m honored to guide them as they make their shorts and ultimately rise in our industry.”
Per IndieWire’s Jim Hemphill: “Even when working on shows that have an extremely codified style like “Criminal Minds,” Culpepper’s gifts stand out — at her best, she’s a visionary world-builder, but she’s also capable of infusing preexisting formulas with surprising flair.”
Hanelle Culpepper received her third NAACP Image Award nomination for Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series for her work on the finale of Netflix’s True Story, ‘Like Cain Did Abel”.
Gaiman, Sir Lenny Henry, Douglas Mackinnon, Hanelle M. Culpepper, Hilary Bevan Jones (Endor Productions), and Richard Fee (RED Production Company) are executive producers, with Gaiman and Henry co-writing and Gaiman and Mackinnon serving as co-showrunners. Culpepper will direct the pilot.