Rumors swirl that Lee Jung-jae is in talks to join Marvel Cinematic Universe

Television

Published: 21 Jul. 2022, 16:09

Rumors swirl that Lee Jung-jae is in talks to join Marvel Cinematic Universe

Lee Jung-jae [NEWS1]

Actor Lee Jung-jae of hit Netflix series “Squid Game” could be joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).

MarvelCrave, a Twitter account that posts updates related to Marvel, cited Twitter influencer and writer Daniel Richtman as reporting that Lee and Marvel Studios are in discussion about a role for the actor.

After the news broke, Marvel fans have been speculating that two roles may be up for grabs for Lee: The villain in the sequel to “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” (2021) or the villain Mister Negative in the “Spider-Man” series.

Lee's agency Artist Company has declined to comment on the rumors, simply saying they “cannot reveal anything” at this point.

If the actor does join the MCU, he will the the fourth Korean to do so following Claudia Kim as Dr. Helen Cho in “Avengers: Age of Ultron” (2015), Ma Dong-seok, also known as Don Lee, as Gilgamesh in “The Eternals” (2021) and Park Seo-jun, who is set to make his MCU debut in the soon-to-be released film “The Marvels.”

Lee, who shot to global stardom thanks to his role as Gi-hun in Netflix Korea’s “Squid Game” (2021), is set to make his first directorial debut with the film “Hunt,” which will be released in local theaters on Aug. 10. He also stars in the film alongside his longtime friend and colleague actor Jung Woo-sung.

Lee was recently nominated for an Emmy Award in the category of best lead actor in a drama for his role in “Squid Game.” Including Lee's nomination, the series picked up 14 Emmy nominations across 13 categories. Lee, along with other cast and crew, are scheduled to attend the award ceremony on Sept. 12 in Los Angeles.

BY LEE JAE-LIM [lee.jaelim@joongang.co.kr]