“The Acolyte” almost had John Wick star Keanu Reeves in a leading role

After the recent cancellation of star Wars series The Acolyte, New information about the show and the casting process has now come to light. The role of Master Sol was played by Squid Game is Lee Jung-jae, whose performance was widely considered one of the highlights of the series. But according to recent reports, Jung-jae was not Lucasfilm’s first choice for the role.According to well-known insider Jeff Sneider, the unique Keanu Reeves was originally the first choice for the role of the Jedi Master.

This seems a little surprising, however, since showrunner Leslye Headland herself has admitted that she never considered anyone else as Master Sol. Ahead of the series premiere, Headland spoke to IGN about the origins of the character and her casting of Jung-jae.

“I had written this character and I had no idea who to cast, and I had no idea who could play all these different layers. I thought of Squid Game and I thought, ‘This is the guy, this is him. I don’t know how to connect with this person, I don’t know if he wants to perform in English.’ For me, it was very clear (Lee’s) role, as opposed to casting him (for) the fact that he’s a Korean movie star.”

It’s possible that Lucasfilm considered Reeves before Headland made her offer for the series. Given the circumstances, it’s likely that the potential casting of Reeves was then shelved as the character developed and Jung-jae became the obvious and preferred choice for the role. Given the series’ $180 million budget, there’s no doubt that Lucasfilm was happy to skimp on casting, as Reeves would undoubtedly have commanded a much higher fee. On the other hand, one can’t help but wonder if bringing in a big name like Keanu Reeves would have helped it attract a larger audience than the series ultimately achieved.

Keanu Reeves is still being eyed for a future Star Wars project

Although Keanu Reeves did not make his debut in the star Wars Franchise with The AcolyteSneider also reports that He is still in high demand at the studio to venture into the galaxy far, far awayLucasfilm currently has several star Wars Projects in the pipeline, including The Mandalorian and Groguand the New Jedi Order film with Daisy Ridley’s Rey. Although fans have long hoped that Reeves would play the role of Darth Revan in a story set during the star Wars Era known as the Old Republic.

Reeves is also in high demand at Lucasfilm’s sister company Marvel Studios. The Matrix The star confessed in 2021 that he had met with Marvel boss Kevin Feige about his potential inclusion in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but they have not yet agreed on a role that would suit him. In the meantime, Reeves still hopes to reprise the role of DC’s Constantine in a sequel to the 2005 film, and he will return in fall 2025 alongside his Bill and Ted Co-star Alex Winter in Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot.