*Warning: This article contains spoilers*
If you binge-watched Netflix’s Squid Game in 2021 and are still suffering from nightmares, you might want to prepare yourself for some more restless nights.
Once the dystopian thriller series hit our screens in September 2021, it quickly became Netflix’s number one ‘must-see’ show across 90 countries and the streaming platform’s most successful non-English show. It soon also became Netflix's biggest ever series launch (surpassing Bridgerton’s record earlier last year), and the hashtag #squidgame had over 27.5 billion (yes, billion) views on TikTok in weeks.
Fans of Squid Game became hooked by the show’s disturbing plot, which saw 456 people (all with serious debt issues) compete in six children’s games over six days to win £28 million ($38 million). The losers? Well, the majority of the show's characters suffered pretty gory deaths, but not before we became obsessed with them and theories about that open ending.
Over Halloween 2021 weekend, 'Squid Game baby costumes' became the number one term on Google’s top-trending rankings, three primary schools New York ended up banning Halloween costumes inspired by the show and Netflix commissioned an huge replica of the unsettling 'Red Light, Green Light' doll from episode one to loom over Sydney, Australia for All Hallows' Eve. Talk about creepy, right?
Months later Youtube star MrBeast created a real-life version of the game and invited 456 random players to take part in a tournament offering a £342,000 ($456,000) cash prize for the winner. Fortunately, none of the YouTuber's players were hurt during the game and, in fact, they received a certain amount of money for taking part.
To quench your Squid Game thirst, here's everything we know about Squid Game season two.
Has Squid Game season two been confirmed?
Yes, it's official - season two is on the way.
In June 2022, a post shared via the show's official Twitter page read: 'On your marks. Get set. Greenlight. Squid Game continues, only on Netflix. [sic]'
In January 2021, Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos opened up about the platform's plans for a second season of Squid Game and the 'Squid Game Universe', which he believes has the potential to involve live experiences, merchandise and mobile gaming.
'The Squid Game universe has just begun,' Sarandos said,' according to Marca. 'We're building those muscles steadily with our consumer products, both like the Squid Game tracksuits, and then we're making a big push on experiences that are mobile and portable.'
On November 9, 2021, creator Hwang Dong-hyuk, who became the first Asian to win outstanding directing for a drama series at the Emmys earlier this year, spoke to Associated Press, and confirmed what we had all been lusting after, that new episodes of the hit TV show are indeed on their way.
Here is an English translation:
'So 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! 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. But I do think it’s too early to say when and how that’s going to happen. So I will promise you this…(in English) Gi-Hun will come back, and he will do something for the world.'
The creator then compared it to Star Wars and explained: 'I would think that in the second season, what he has learned from the games and his experience in the first season, they will all be put to use in a more active manner. And at the same time, as for the Front Man who was also a past winner but became a Front Man, it's like Darth Vader. Some end up Jedi and some become Darth Vader, right?.'
At the Critics Choice Awards in 2022, Dong-hyuk told Variety that the season two script doesn't even exist just yet. 'It's here. Not on the page, it's here,' he said, pointing at his head. 'Everything is secret. I cannot tell anything.'
He then said a comeback for Jung-jae's character Seong Gi-hun is in store, noting: 'But he will come back and do something for the world.'
When will Squid Game season two be released?
Season two was announced back in June 2022 and filming wrapped in 2023, so we are expecting the second series to premiere later in 2024, which Netflix confirmed in January 2024.
In a letter sent to investors, Netflix confirmed that, despite setbacks presented by the Hollywood strikes, Squid Game, The Diplomat and Bridgerton will all air in 2024.
In an April 2024 call to investors, Sarandos confirmed that a host of Netflix original series will debut in the final half of this year, with Squid Game being one of them.
We first heard about Netflix’s Squid Game back in 2019. It then took another two years for filming and production to finish up, so it’s likely we wouldn’t see a second season until 2023 (even 2024!).
As for the show's awards success, actor O Yeong-su won Best Supporting Actor in Television at the 2022 Golden Globe for his role as Player 001 in season one. The win marks the first time a Korean actor has won an award at the prestigious event.
Who will star in season two of Squid Game?
Speaking at Netflix's global fan event, Tudum 2023, on June 17, it was revealed that the second season will welcome Run On’s Yim Si-wan, 30 Days’ Kang Ha-neul, Park Sung-hoon and Yang Dong-geun to the cast of the second season.
South Korean actress Kim Si-eun is also one of the new faces cast in the second season of the series. Speaking on the South Korean radio show Cine Town on SBS POWER FM, she described her experience so far as 'really exciting'. 'So far so good,' she added. 'I can’t wait for it to come out!'
'I’ve been busy filming Squid Game recently, and filming it has been super fun,' she said, as translated by SBS Star. 'I don’t have a lot of opportunities to work with such legendary actors, so it’s just such an honour for me to work with them. I feel grateful for this amazing opportunity. I’m trying to learn as much as I can while working with them.'
They'll appear alongside returning stars Lee Jung-jae, who played the series' protagonist Seong Gi-hun (a.k.a. Player 456), Lee Byung-hun, who portrayed Front Man (the leader of the team running the competition); and Wi Ha-jun, who played the role of Hwang Jun-ho (the interloper who broke into the competition to try and find his brother).
O Yeong-Su, meanwhile, who played Player 001 and became the first South Korean actor to win a Golden Globe in 2022 for his role as Oh Il-nam, the oldest participant in the competition, was given an eight-month suspended prison sentence on March 16 2024 for sexual misconduct by a South Korean court. He has denied the charges and has said he will appeal against the verdict.
While his role hadn't yet been confirmed, it is understood that he will not in the series' second season.
What have the cast said about Squid Game season two?
Jung HoYeon has addressed several fan theories about season two after many viewers have speculated her character Kang Saebyeok might have survived.
In a YouTube video with Vanity Fair, the actor debunked the theories seen on Reddit. Firstly, the star disagreed with a Reddit user's suggestion that her character's little brother Cheoul could enter the game to avenge her death. 'My brother shouldn't go there to play... I'm gonna say no for that,' she said.
As to the rumours that 001 is 456's father given the latter dislikes milk just like 001's son, and that he and 001's son have the same birthday, HoYeon replied: 'It could make sense. But that's even more stressful to watch. Do you need more stress?...
'Maybe Director Hwang needs more stress, but I'm a more peaceful person.'
The actor also shut down rumours her character survived at the end of season one. While she said she also wishes her character saved herself, she also is 'quite happy' that her character died. 'I can get rid of every stress,' she said before adding that she and the show's director joked about her character having a twin sister.
'I don't think she might come back,' she noted of her character. 'And also guys, I'm so sorry to say this, but I'm very happy to be dying.'
HoYeon also said that Gi-hun 'is not going to be their front-man', despite chatter online, and that Squid Games isn't on Jeju Island.
Actor Wi Ha-jun (who plays Detective Hwang Jun-ho) has also hinted that his character might return if season two was commissioned.
Fans of the show will remember the detective spent the majority of the first season on the hunt for his missing brother nnd resorted to working behind-the-scenes at the Game. In the end the character learns his brother is in fact the Games' Front Man and is shot by his brother for failing to give up his gun and his police investigation. The last we saw of Jun-ho was when he fell off the side off a cliff after being shot.
In a recent interview Deadline, Ha-jun said he wants his character to still be alive so he can the answers to many questions.
'I'm dying to know what happened to him,' the actor told the publication. 'I want him to return alive, find his brother and ask him tons of questions. As a brother, I would ask him sincerely.
'As a detective, I want to explore the overall secrets behind the game as well. I really hope to see Jun-ho come back alive and explore all these questions. I hope to see a more brotherly-love side of their relationship as well.'
That said, the actor isn't so sure a reconciliation between the brothers would be on the cards. 'I will have to hear why he made certain choices,' he said.
Okay, so it's not a confirmation that a second season is in the works, but it's clear the cast want to find out what happens next for their characters.
Kim Joo-ryoung (Han Mi-nyeo/Player 212) has also been delighting fans by sharing numerous behind-the-scenes photos from the Squid Game set if that’s any consolation?
In a new interview with the Guardian the show's writer-director Hwang Dong-hyuk opened up about the series' success and his motivations for writing the series.
When asked whether he's now as rich as the Squid Game winner the 50-year-old said: 'I’m not that rich. But I do have enough. I have enough to put food on the table. And it’s not like Netflix is paying me a bonus. Netflix paid me according to the original contract.'
The director continued, noting the TV series' plot was inspired by his own family situation in 2009 following the global financial crash.
'I was very financially straitened because my mother retired from the company she was working for. There was a film I was working on but we failed to get finance. So I couldn’t work for about a year. We had to take out loans – my mother, myself and my grandmother,' he noted.
Despite his show eclipsing Bridgerton as the most watch show on Netflix in the streaming platform's history, he actually hasn't seen the Shonda Rhimes-produced series.
'People said Bridgerton was very good so I tried watching episode one but I gave up in the middle,' he noted. 'I’m not really into TV romance stories because it’s been six or seven years since I was in a relationship. I find it really hard to relate to.'
As for a possible season two of Squid Game, it sounds like he hasn't ruled out a sequel. 'It’s possible,' he told the publication, joking 'that I have to do season two to become as rich as Squid Game’s winner'.
Dong-hyuk also recently told Variety that working on Squid Game was pretty challenging, so it’s likely he wouldn’t want to jump head first into a second season without giving it some in-depth thought.
‘In my earlier days, I’d drink half a bottle of soju (Korean liquor) to get the creative juices flowing. I can’t do that any more,’ he said. ‘Writing (Squid Game) was harder than normal for me as it was a series, not a film. It took me six months to write and rewrite the first two episodes. Then I consulted verbally with friends, and picked up clues for improvements through my own pitching and from their responses.’
He later told The Hollywood Reporter that he's feeling the heat from fans to write a second season.
'The pressure on me is huge now, with such a big audience waiting for a season two. Because of all that pressure, I haven’t decided yet whether or not I should do another season,' he said. 'But if you look at it in a positive way, because so many people loved season one and are expecting good things for season two, there are people everywhere in the world offering their opinions about where the show should go. I could actually pull ideas from fans all around the world to create the next season.'
Dong-hyuk is currently working on a film titled KO Club, so don’t expect a season two Squid Game script any time soon, okay?
What is the Squid Game season two plot?
A teaser video for season two shows Seong Gi-hun at the airport, where a voice on the phone tells him, 'You'll regret your decision.' Gi-hun, who appears angry but determined, replies, 'I will find you. No matter what it takes.' Netflix also released several photos from the new season.
It is widely expected that in season two, Gi-hun abandons his plans to travel to the United States 'after a mysterious call and embarks on a chase with a motive.'
Another teaser, which was posted to the series' social media platforms, shows the giant killer robot doll we were introduced to last series. The number two flickers in her eye as the robot's infamous song plays in the background.
Dong-hyuk also shared a message to accompany the clip, explaining how it took 12 years to get Squid Game made, but just 12 days for it to become so popular.
The post, posted to the series' social media platforms, teased the return of familiar characters, such as Seong Gi-hun and The Front Man.
It read: '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. [sic]'
Gi-Hun was the only survivor, so we anticipated his return.
'The man in the suit with ddakji,' refers to Gong Yoo, a Korean icon, who starred in action horror film Train To Busan.
Seemingly, Yoo, who played a high-profile cameo role, may reprise his part to solicit more people to risk their lives in the deadly game that is Squid Game.
As he visited the set of the show in February 2024, Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos gushed that the forthcoming season would 'blow your minds.'
'We are really excited about director Hwang’s ability for storytelling, more dynamic sets, and more mind-blowing storylines that are going to thrill the entire world,' Sarandos told the media during his appearance in Seoul. 'Hwang’s vision is such a powerful example of how Korean — and non-English titles – can be locally authentic while finding new international audiences on Netflix.'
In a February 2023 interview, protagonist Lee Jung-jae (Gi-Hun) seemed to confirm that the Front Man, played by Lee Byung-hun, would move from largely being in the shadows into a lead role. 'As we all saw at the end of season 1, the main plot of season 2 will be revenge, and the key figure who controlled the workings of the games in season 1 was Lee Byung-Hun...' explained Jung-jae. 'So it seems that the two of us will be the central figures of this next story.'
At the end of season one, only Gi-hun and Cho Sang-woo remain in the competition. Gi-hun is ultimately the winner, but at the last moment offers his hand to Sang-woo, only for the latter to take his own life.
The Front Man then explains to Gi-hun that the Squid Game is a form of entertainment for the rich, in much the same way people bet on horses. We then see winner Gi-hun being dropped off in an unknown location and going home to see his mother.
A year later, Gi-hun is sitting on a beach and receives a rose with a black, pink ribbon-wrapped envelope attached to it with the words: 'December 24. 11:30 p.m. Sky building, 7th floor. From your gganbu', inside. It's believed Player 001 is known as gganbu, who Gi-hun thinks he'd killed in the Games.
In an interview with Deadline in March 2022 at the PGA Awards ceremony, Dong-hyuk said he's working on ideas for the next season.
'There will be more great games, that’s all I can say.' Hwang said. 'I’m just still brainstorming and collecting the ideas for season two. I haven’t even started with the writing yet.'
When asked whether some cast members could make a comeback, he joked: 'No, because most of them are dead. I’ll try something to bring them back to season two.'
Gesturing to actor HoYeon Jung (Kang Sae-byeok), he said: 'Let’s say maybe she has a twin sister, you’ll see.' The former model interjected and noted: 'I could change my hair colour. Let’s do a little like plastic surgery.'
In an interview in December 2023, Dong-hyuk shared, per Korea Herald, that the upcoming season 'will feature new games and characters, as well as a deeper plot and message.'
'We have been filming the second season of Squid Game since July with the interest and support of many viewers,' Hwang said, adding: 'We are burdened with the pressure to do well, but we will make sure to repay viewers with a good result.'
The series' art director Chae Kyung-sun echoed Dong-hyuk's sentiment, adding that she feels 'heavy pressure to live up to expectations,' and that the art team is 'working hard to realise [Hwang’s] vision and the series’ theme,' according to Yonhap News Agency.
Is there a Squid Game season two trailer?
While there isn't a full trailer yet, there is a teaser for the sophomoric season - and it promises a season even better than the last.
Katie O'Malley is the Site Director on ELLE UK. On a daily basis you’ll find Katie managing all digital workflow, editing site, video and newsletter content, liaising with commercial and sales teams on new partnerships and deals (eg Nike, Tiffany & Co., Cartier etc), implementing new digital strategies and compiling in-depth data traffic, SEO and ecomm reports. In addition to appearing on the radio and on TV, as well as interviewing everyone from Oprah Winfrey to Rishi Sunak PM, Katie enjoys writing about lifestyle, culture, wellness, fitness, fashion, and more.
Naomi May is a freelance writer and editor with an emphasis on popular culture, lifestyle and politics. After graduating with a First Class Honours from City University's prestigious Journalism course, Naomi joined the Evening Standard as its Fashion and Beauty Writer, working across both the newspaper and website. She is now the Acting News Editor at ELLE UK and has written features for the likes of The Guardian, Vogue, Vice and Refinery29, among many others.
