Lee Jung-jae cast for role in Disney+ original series ‘The Acolyte’

“Squid Game” star Lee Jung-jae will join Disney+ and Lucasfilm’s upcoming original series “The Acolyte,” according to the streaming platform on Tuesday.

The series is based on the Star Wars universe, and Lee’s casting was part of Disney+’s Twitter announcement on Wednesday, which revealed the cast and an on-set photo featuring Lee.

The cast also includes top Hollywood actors Amandla Stenberg, best known for “The Hate U Give” (2018), Manny Jacinto from “Nine Perfect Strangers” (2021), Dafne Keen from the BBC and HBO series “His Dark Materials” (2019), Jodie Turner-Smith from “Queen & Slim” (2019), Rebecca Henderson from “Inventing Anna” (2022), Charlie Barnett from “Russian Doll” (2019), Dean-Charles Chapman from “1917” (2019) and The King (2019) and Carrie Anne Moss from the “Matrix” series.

“The Acolyte” is set 100 years before “Star Wars: The Phantom Menace” (1999) and centers around the secret of the galaxy and the rise of the Dark Side.

The series will be directed by Leslye Headland, best known for the 2012 film “Bachelorette” and the 2015 film “Sleeping with Other People.”

Lee debuted in 1993 through the SBS television series “Dinosaur Teacher” and shot to stardom through another SBS drama series “Sandglass” in 1995.

Although a ’90s star, Lee’s most iconic roles are from films released after 2000, including “The Housemaid” (2010), “The Thieves” (2012), “New World” (2013), “The Face Reader” (2013), “Assassination” (2015) and “Deliver Us From Evil” (2020). He found global fame through the Netflix Korea series “Squid Game,” for which he won Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor at the 28th Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards. In September, he became the first Korean to take home a Primetime Emmy Award, winning the prize for outstanding lead actor in a drama series award.

He also made his directorial debut with the period espionage film “Hunt,” in which he also starred, in August this year.

BY HALEY YANG [yang.hyunjoo@joongang.co.kr]