Squid Game star and Emmy nominee Lee Jung-jae has reportedly set his eyes on filming in a galaxy far, far away. In his first major-studio role following the global hit show, Lee leads the upcoming Star Wars series The Acolyte alongside co-stars Amandla Stenberg and Jodie Turner-Smith. Described as a “mystery-thriller” in “the final days of the High Republic era,” the next phase in the Star Wars saga will be directed by Russian Doll’s Leslye Headland. The Acolyte will reportedly consist of eight episodes, according to Discussing Film. Disney confirmed its main cast on November 7, adding The Matrix star Carrie-Anne Moss to the docket. Manny Jacinto, Dafne Keen, Rebecca Henderson, Charlie Barnett, and Dean-Charles Chapman have also been confirmed.
The diverse-casting announcement came a few weeks after John Boyega revealed he would no longer be involved with Star Wars. He discussed not feeling supported by Disney when he began receiving racist backlash for his casting. Other Star Wars stars received similar racist comments. Moses Ingram received hundreds of hate comments, prompting her co-star Ewan McGregor to address the racism head-on in a video. Kelly Marie Tran was bullied off of Instagram in 2018. While the Star Wars universe continues to grow, it’s difficult to ignore the pattern of racist backlash that comes with casting.
This post has been updated.
