Fans of Netflix's runaway global hit Squid Game will be glad to know the script for its second season has been written and "the Squid Game universe has just started," Netflix's VP of Korean content, Don Kang, told Newsweek.
Speaking at a Q&A panel on February 4 at Netflix Korea's headquarters in Seoul, the South Korean capital, Kang was asked whether the script for Squid Game Season 2 has been written and when we can expect its release.
He told Newsweek: "Yes, Director Hwang [Dong-hyuk] has finished the script," though it's still being edited, "and we are in the pre-production stage."
Noting that the story for the second season of Squid Game is "bigger and it's great," Kang said the streamer does not have an "exact timeline" to share on when the second installment will be released. "It takes time to produce these types of shows and we want to get it right, so it might take some time."
The VP explained: "We want to make sure we keep it authentic. We don't want to copy and paste the same story [as Squid Game Season 1] because it was commercially successful around the world.
"We want to expand the story in a way that will elevate the original Squid Game and the entire world view of Squid Game. So that's what we're focused on," Kang said.
Asked how he sees the Squid Game franchise expanding, Kang told Newsweek: "Yes, the Squid Game universe has just started. We're very excited about the non-fiction show [Squid Game: The Challenge] that we're currently producing in the U.K."
The runaway success of the hit series ignited an explosion of interest in Korean content. According to Kang, over 60 percent of all Netflix subscribers watched at least one Korean show in 2022.
The VP said there's never been a moment in Korean television history where so many stories from the country have touched "so many hearts around the world."
Asked about the pressures of having to follow a massive hit like Squid Game, Kang joked: "It's been such a smooth sailing experience. I feel no pressure at all," before noting that such pressures aren't new.
Even before the launch of Netflix, the popularity of Korean titles had spread across the Asia-Pacific region and "there was always the fear" the Hallyu (Korean wave) might come to an end, he explained.
While there certainly is pressure after Squid Game, the VP said it's also an opportunity to "turn that into something positive."
Kang is excited about the 34 Korean titles slated for release in 2023, including some returning favorites such as the second season of the gripping military series D.P. and revenge drama The Glory.
The VP said he's also "especially excited" about the upcoming film Kill Boksoon, which has a "distinct cinematic grammar."
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