'Squid Game’ actor Lee Jung-jae to star in upcoming Star Wars spin-off ‘The Acolyte’ alongside Amanda Stenberg and Jodie Turner-Smith.
South Korean actor Lee Jung-jae, widely known for the huge success of Netflix’ ‘Squid Game,’ has been tapped as one of the lead actors in the upcoming Star Wars series, ‘The Acolyte’ which will premiere on Disney+.
The new series will be produced by Lucasfilm with "Russian Doll" co-creator Leslye Headland serving as the director, writer, executive producer and showrunner of the series and will be exploring the secrets and the developing powers of the Dark Side in the final days of the High Republic era.
‘The Acolyte’ has been previously described as a mystery-thriller set 100 years before the events of Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace.
Lee will be opposite Dear Evan Hansen's Amandla Stenberg and Queen & Slim star Jodie Turner-Smith in the upcoming Star Wars spin-off series according to Deadline.
Details of Lee Jung-jae’s character has yet to be revealed, as well as the other cast members but according to reports, production will start in London later this year.
The South Korean actor has always been a huge star in South Korea after appearing in K-dramas like ‘Chief of Staff’ and films ‘Along With the Gods’ series, ‘The Face Reader’ and ‘The Housemaid,’ but had a new-found success after playing Seong Gi-hun aka Player 456 in ‘Squid Game’.
The announcement of Lee’s new role comes after Lee and the rest of the ‘Squid Game’ ensemble are currently heavily favored to win big at the 2022 Primetime Emmy Awards where Lee himself is up for Outstanding Lead Actor - Drama, as well as his co-star Jung Ho-yeon, who is up for Outstanding Supporting Actress - Drama.
Lee Jung-jae will join the likes of Donnie Yen, Iko Uwais, Yayan Ruhian, Cecep Arif Rahman, Marie Tran, Paul Sun-Hyung Lee, and Ming-Na Wen as prominent Asian actors who have played different roles in the sci-fi franchise since Disney’s acquisition of Lucasfilm in 2012.
Tags: #StarWars, #scifi, #Disney+