Netflix reveals ‘Squid Game’ Season 2 release date: All about the new cast and plot details
Netflix is bringing some familiar faces for the second season of its massive hit “Squid Game.”
In a special teaser shared online Sept. 19, the streamer gave an intense first look at what fans can expect in the new season.
From the teaser description, Season 2 will pick up three years after the first season when Player 456, also known as Gi-hun, decided against returning to the U.S. so that he could once again join the survival game. This time the stakes appear to be higher as there are new participants vying to win the prize of 45.6 billion won.
The new teaser comes after the streamer posted a short teaser on Instagram on Feb. 1, showing Seong Gi-hun, played by Lee Jung-jae, walking through what appeared to be an airport as he answered a call on his phone.
“You’ll regret your decision,” a voice says, which makes him stop in his tracks.
“I will find you. No matter what it takes,” Gi-hun angrily says before the clip ends.
Ted Sarandos, co-CEO of Netflix, confirmed the show’s second season during an earnings interview for Netflix’s 2021 fourth quarter.
When asked directly if “Squid Game” would get another season, he replied, “Absolutely!”
“The ‘Squid Game’ universe has just begun,” Sarandos added.
Here’s everything there is to know about “Squid Game” Season Two.
When does ‘Squid Game’ Season 2 premiere?
In a new teaser for the hit series, Netflix revealed the second season of “Squid Game” will premiere Thursday, Dec. 26.
Who will be returning?
Netflix revealed that Lee Jung-jae, Lee Byung-hun, Wi Ha-jun, and Gong Yoo will reprise their roles from Season 1.
New cast members include: Yim Si-wan, Kang Ha-neul, Park Gyu-young, Lee Jin-uk, Park Sung-hoon, Yang Dong-geun, Kang Ae-sim, Lee David, Choi Seung-hyun, Roh Jae-won, Jo Yu-ri, and Won Ji-an.
Meanwhile, director Hwang Dong-hyuk, who made history at the 74th Emmys by becoming the first Asian to win outstanding directing for a drama series, will once again serve as director, writer, and producer.
While talking about Season Two in a November 2021 interview with The Associated Press, the “Squid Game” creator and director said that Gi-hun’s journey is not over in the thrilling series.
“Gi-hun will come back, he’ll do something for the world,” he said.
Dong-hyuk also penned a note to fans in June 2022 and offered more insight about who’ll be returning for the show — and a new cast member.
The letter was shared on Netflix’s official Instagram account, and it said, “And now, Gi-hun returns. The Front Man returns. Season 2 is coming. The man in the suit with ddakji might be back. You’ll also be introduced to Young-hee’s boyfriend, Cheoul-su. Join us once more for a whole new round.”
Several other actors are joining the cast, as well, although specific information about their characters has not been revealed, according to Netflix.
Returning characters from Season One include Front Man (Lee Byung-hun), Hwang Jun-ho (Wi Ha-jun) and the Recruiter (Gong Yoo), according to Netflix.
Why is ‘Squid Game’ getting a second season?
In October 2021, the thrilling series surpassed “Bridgerton” and became Netflix’s biggest series launch ever at the time. The show’s interesting storyline and brilliant cast contributed to “Squid Game” becoming the first non-English-language series and first Korean series to be nominated for an award at the 2022 Screen Actors Guild Awards.
“Squid Game” was so popular that two months after it premiered on Netflix in September 2021, there were already rumblings about a second season.
“There’s been so much pressure, so much demand and so much love for a second season. So I almost feel like you leave us no choice!” Dong-hyuk told The Associated Press at the time. “But I will say there will indeed be a second season. It’s in my head right now. I’m in the planning process currently.”
What is the plotline for Season 2?
As viewers know, Jung-jae’s character, Gi-hun, ended the show 45.6 billion times richer and very disturbed from the death games.
Gi-hun also learned that the old man he befriended while fighting for his life was the one behind the extreme tournament.
While Netflix didn’t off much details, the logline to the latest teaser is as follows: “Three years after winning Squid Game, Player 456 gave up going to the states and comes back with a new resolution in his mind. Gi-hun once again dives into the mysterious survival game, starting another life-or-death game with new participants gathered to win the prize of 45.6 billion won.”
With such a thrilling storyline, multiple fans have come up with ideas for Season Two, and Dong-hyuk has seen a couple of them.
“I’ve seen many reactions from people about the show, but I don’t want to make Season Two as a response to those actions,” he told The Hollywood Reporter in August 2022. “The philosophies I put in Season One all naturally extend to Season Two. Instead of trying to meet the expectations of the viewers, I just thought about the last moment when Gi-hun turned away from boarding the plane, and I thought about what he will do next.”
“There will naturally be a flow of events that will lead all the way to the end of the season,” Dong-hyuk continued. “I can’t share any details yet, but you know that Seong Gi-hun has become a totally new person by the end of Season One, so Season Two is going to be about what that new Gi-hun is going to do and how things will unfold with this new kind of character.”
How will Season 2 be different from Season One?
In a September 2024 interview with Entertainment Weekly, the director reveals that Gi-hun is a changed man after the events of Season 1, partly due to learning that his daughter has moved to the U.S.
“In season 2, you will not be getting the foolish and clumsy or childish at times Gi-hun that you saw in the beginning,” Hwang said. “You will get to see a much heavier, darker side of Gi-hun.”
Lee Jung-jae added that Gi-hun also has a “huge amount of survivor’s guilt” from being the sole survivor from the game and is now seeking revenge to “put an end to it.”
“Gi-hun’s purpose is not to play the game, but to go after those who have created the game and put a stop to it,” he said. “Compared to every other participant within the game and also himself in season 1, the approach that he takes is going to be very different this time around. It could almost be described as a game-within-a-game for Gi-hun.”
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