Intriguing Star Wars Series The Acolyte Just Added A Squid Game Star In One Of Its Lead Roles

"The Acolyte" is an upcoming Disney+ series that will focus on the emergence of the dark side at the end of the High Republic Era. Fans of the franchise may not know much about this era of "Star Wars" because Lucasfilms has not focused on it in any of the live-action properties. The High Republic was the time of great Jedi power and influence, which lasted from 300 BBY to 82 BBY — that's 82 years before the events of "A New Hope."

During this era, the Jedi and the Galactic Republic were at the height of their power. While the "Star Wars" movies have represented the Jedi as a dying — or, in some cases, already dead — order that struggles to maintain any semblance of power, the High Republic era Jedi were the opposite. The Order was thriving with an incredibly diverse range of members who didn't follow the Jedi Code as strictly as they did in the movies.

The dark side of the force began to emerge towards the end of the High Republic Era, and that's what "The Acolyte" plans to tackle. Lucasfilms announced the series during Disney's investor meeting in 2020, but the studio has revealed little information on the project other than the general synopsis. Amandla Stenberg has signed on as one of the female leads, and a new casting report tells us that a "Squid Game" breakout will also be starring in "The Acolyte."

Deadline is reporting that Lee Jung-Jae, best known for playing Seong Gi-hun in "Squid Game," has signed on as the male lead for "The Acolyte." As of the time of writing, there hasn't been any official confirmation or shared information about Lee's role.

After the massive success of "Squid Game," which has personally netted Lee Golden Globe and Emmy nominations, as well as a SAG Award win, it's hardly a wonder as to why he'd be sought out for such a high-profile property. Lee joins Amandla Stenberg and Jodie Turner-Smith as the only actors reportedly signed on for "The Acolyte" as of now. Lucasfilms has set a tentative release date of April 11, 2023, for the series.  

Needless to say, Lee's apparent casting is just further proof that showrunner Leslye Headland is already off to a strong start with "The Acolyte." Headland, known for her work on Netflix's "Russian Doll," knows exactly how to get on every "Star Wars" fan's sweet side, revealing to Vanity Fair her plans to draw from the Expanded Universe for "The Acolyte." The Expanded Universe is the immense number of "Star Wars" books, video games, and comics that were all deemed non-canon after Disney purchased Lucasfilms, per Daily Dot, and it included much of what fans loved about "Star Wars." Described as a massive "Star Wars" fan by Kathleen Kennedy herself, Headland is more than ready to bring parts of the Expanded Universe back into canon.