A geometric collage split by sharp red borders featuring five individuals with serious, calculating expressions. In the top row, a woman on the left in a grey blazer reviews a blue folder labeled "Ms. H"; a man in the center wearing round glasses looks up intently over the top of a folder labeled "Mr. L"; and a man on the right with glasses reads through a folder labeled "Mr. T". In the bottom row, a young dark-haired man on the left looks down thoughtfully in front of a blurred electronic display screen, while an older man with glasses on the right peers intensely down into another blue folder.

Esports champion Faker joins an all-star cast of K-pop idols and entertainers for the new Disney+ mystery reality series "Murder Club."

Korean Esports Icon Faker Joins Disney+ Show in Surprise Move

Faker's Disney+ debut marks a whole new chapter for the esports legend, as he steps into South Korea's evolving entertainment landscape.

BYDiya Mukherjee

16 JUL 2026, 10:11 AM

Highlights

League of Legends icon "Faker" makes his first mainstream TV move with a Korean mystery variety show.
The show, Murder Club: Liar's Table, from Disney+ will also cast popular K-pop stars and TV icons, noting the platform's growing interest in Korean original entertainment.
As a newcomer in the TV world, Faker's Disney+ debut offers a unique kind of challenge, hinting at an unexpected side of the global esports star.

Lee "Faker" Sang-hyeok, one of the biggest names in the esports sector and a notable League of Legends player, is moving into mainstream television. On July 15, 2026, Disney+ announced that the six-time world champion will join the cast of its upcoming mystery variety show, Murder Club: Liar's Table. By joining this show, Faker will mark his first-ever regular role on a non-gaming entertainment program.

The casting highlights a strategic push by Disney+ to bolster its growing unscripted Korean content portfolio with star power across different fields. The streaming platform has paired the global gaming titan with veteran entertainers and K-pop idols, aiming directly to capitalize on the intersection of gaming culture, fandoms, and mainstream domestic viewership.

Inside Disney+'s AI-Driven Mystery Show Featuring Notable Icons

Premiering on July 29, Murder Club will use artificial intelligence to create complex crime scenarios throughout changing historical and modern settings. These backdrops include a Joseon Dynasty village, a prison, and a baseball stadium. As per reports, the 10-member cast must navigate psychological mind games, deception, and deduction to identify a culprit within their own ranks.

Alongside Faker, the lineup features TVXQ’s Max Changmin, Tomorrow X Together’s Beomgyu, travel YouTuber Pani Bottle (a.k.a Park Jae-han), and chef Park Ju-seong from Culinary Class Wars. Notably, comedians Choi Yang-rak and Eom Ji-yoon, actors Shin Sung-rok, former civil servant Kim Seon-tae, and baseball player Kim Hyun-soo will also join them. The star-studded roster shows an aggressive push by Disney+ to scale up its domestic reality programming, after investing previously in unscripted titles like The Zone: Survival Mission and Battle of Fates.

The next chapter in Faker's career

For Faker, this television role represents a significant departure from the competitive arena. Earlier this year, the T1 veteran received the Cheongnyong (Blue Dragon) Medal, South Korea’s highest honor for sports merit, putting his cultural legacy alongside national figures such as figure skater Kim Yuna and footballer Son Heung-min.

Although the legendary gamer is celebrated worldwide for his ice-cold composure under pressure, early promotional footage released by Disney+ depicts a rare vulnerability. Reportedly, in the trailer, the esports star visibly appears to be flustered by the unpredictable mechanics of mainstream variety television.

Diya Mukherjee

Author

Diya Mukherjee is a Content Writer at Outlook Respawn with a postgraduate background in media. She has a passion for writing content and is enthusiastic about exploring cultures, literature, global affairs, and pop culture.