Lee Jung-jae lands lead role in Star Wars series

Lee Jung-jae, an actor who played an international breakout role in the megahit Netflix series ‘Squid Game,’ will be the male lead in the Star Wars series. On Thursday, Deadline, the U.S. Hollywood entertainment news media site, revealed that Lee has been cast as the male lead of the Star Wars series ‘The Acolyte,’ which will premiere on the OTT streaming service Disney Plus by Lucasfilm, a production company that made Star Wars. The Acolyte will be helmed from writing to executive producing by Leslye Headland, who directed the Netflix series ‘Russian Doll’ in 2019.

In the Star Wars series, an acolyte refers to individuals who learn force abilities from Sith. Hollywood and Star Wars fans expect Lee to take the role of ‘Sith Lord, who has the strongest force abilities among Siths.

The actor did not deny the news that he would land the male lead in the series. When asked about the cast by the press, Lee said, “We will let you know when we receive more detailed information.” On Friday, he joined a proclamation ceremony of ‘Squid Game’ in front of the Los Angeles City Council.

Meanwhile, Lee was nominated for Outstanding Lead Actor in a drama series at the 74th Emmy Awards to be held on Monday (local time).


Seong-Taek Jeong neone@donga.com