Squid Game star Lee Jung-Jae has landed the lead role in the Disney Plus Star Wars series The Acolyte (via Deadline).
The actor joins Jodie Turner-Smith and Amandla Steinberg, who were recently cast in undisclosed roles. Jung-Jae played Seong Gi-hun in the survival drama Squid Game, with the role earning him Golden Globe, Primetime Emmy, Critics' choice, and Screen Actors Guild nominations for Best Actor.
Details are still being kept under wraps, but we know that The Acolyte is a mystery-thriller set in the High Republic era, about 100 years before the prequels. This era is the peak for both the Jedi and the Republic – before the Empire eventually takes over. In the Star Wars universe, an "acolyte" is an individual who possesses the ability to use the Force and train under a highly experienced Sith Lord.
Leslye Headland, co-creator of Netflix's Russian Doll, is set to serve as showrunner and spoke briefly about the plot in an interview with Vanity Fair.
"We're taking a look at the political and personal and spiritual things that came up in a time period that we don't know much about," Headland explained. "My question when watching The Phantom Menace was always like, 'Well, how did things get to this point?' How did we get to a point where a Sith lord can infiltrate the Senate and none of the Jedi pick up on it? Like, what went wrong? What are the scenarios that led us to this moment?"
The Acolyte does not yet have a release date. For more, check out our roundup of all the upcoming Star Wars movies and TV shows for everything coming soon from the galaxy far, far away.
