Just days after it was revealed that Jodie-Turner Smith had been cast in an unknown role in Star Wars: The Acolyte, Deadline are exclusively reporting that Squid Game star, Lee Jung-Jae, has landed the lead male role in the upcoming series.

Deadline did not have any additional details to provide on Jung-Jar’s role in the series outside of him being the male lead, but past supposed leaks did claim that a Sith Lord, codenamed Paul, in the series was looking to be cast and would be around the age of fifty years old, with Jung-Jae himself being forty nine. According to the leaks, Paul takes our lead, codenamed Aura played by Amandla Stenberg, from her home-word to compete with other force sensitives, known as acolytes, to win a place as his apprentice. Aura is supposedly motivated to join the acolytes after the death of her grandfather, the Jedi failing to save her village and the Jedi taking her force sensitive younger sister.

Currently only Lee Jung-Jae (Squid Game), Jodie Turner-Smith (Queen and Slim) and Amandla Stenberg (Bodies, Bodies, Bodies) have been cast in the High Republic era series. Currently the series is in pre-production at Shinfield Studios, Berkshire and will begin production sometime next moth with filming expected to run until May of 2023, though the series isn’t expected to air until 2024. The series is being show-run by creator Leslye Headland (Russian Doll), but as of this time no directors or writers have been attached to the project outside of Headland.

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