Deadline has learned that South Korean actor and film director Lee Jung-jae will star as the male lead in The Acolyte, one of Lucasfilm’s upcoming Star Wars series for Disney+.
- Lee, 49, is best known to international audiences for his role in Netflix’s survival drama Squid Game, in which he plays protagonist Seong Gi-hun (Player 456), a gambler who’s recruited for the eponymous competition.
- Details about Lee’s character are being kept under wraps, but the actor will be joined by Jodie Turner-Smith (After Yang) and Amanda Steinberg (The Hunger Games), who is set for the female lead.
- Leading the project for Lucasfilm is Leslye Headland, who has been tapped as The Acolyte’s director, writer, executive producer, and showrunner.
- The Acolyte is expected to begin production in London this year, in late fall.
From a Deadline report:
The Acolyte is a mystery-thriller that will take viewers into a galaxy of shadowy secrets and emerging Dark Side powers in the final days of the High Republic era, Disney+ said in announcing the project in December 2020. In the real universe of Star Wars, “acolyte” can refer to individuals with Force abilities who learn from a more experienced Sith Lord.
Landing Lee for The Acolyte is quite the victory for Lucasfilm and Headland, given that every studio and streamer was looking to get into business with the Squid Game breakout star. It’s been a year since the Netflix series premiered, smashing streaming records, scoring 14 Emmy noms and turning Lee and his castmates into household names. He and Jung Ho-yeon will be presenters at the Emmys next week.