One of the most thrilling shows of recent years, Netflix K-drama Squid Game also became perhaps the streamer’s most surprising viral hit—and its second season is coming.
The series follows adult contestants in a battle royale-style contest known simply as the Game, with several rounds based off of traditional children’s games like tug-of-war and Red Light, Green Light. Though the death-game premise has been done before (for instance, in 2000’s Battle Royale or The Hunger Games), the characters in Squid Game aren’t forced to play for survival. They’ve volunteered, gambling their lives for the chance to win $38.5 million dollars.
Squid Game quickly rose to no. 1 on the Netflix Top 10 after premiering in September 2021, and remained there for weeks as it garnered more and more buzz on social media. Though the show is not an easy binge, due to graphic violence and heady moral dilemmas, its excellent characters and terrifying scenarios had viewers asking whether they would make it through the deadly competition, as well as just how much money a life is worth. In between telling everyone they know about the show, fans have also been asking for a second season since right after the first one landed. Here’s what we know so far about the forthcoming continuation of the hit thriller.
Four new faces have been cast in season two.
Netflix released the first major update about season two on June 17, 2023, during its Tudum live event, announcing four new cast members playing as-yet undisclosed roles. The new cast members include Yim Si-wan, perhaps best known to American Netflix viewers for the K-drama Run On and horror film Unlocked; Park Sung-Hoon, who recently played Jeon Jae-joon in Netflix’s The Glory; Kang Ha-neul, who starred in the Korean miniseries drama When the Camellia Blooms; and actor and rapper Yang Dong-Geun.
Season two will show that Gi-hun has become “a totally new person.”
In an August 2022 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, series creator Hwang Dong-hyuk gave an update on the forthcoming season, revealing he was on deadline to finish writing season two “by the end of this year or early next year.” The creator also talked about the messages he hopes to convey with the new episodes.
“The philosophies I put in season one all naturally extend to season two,” he said. “Instead of trying to meet the expectations of 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.”
He also offered a hint about season one winner Seong Gi-hun’s state of mind after the finale’s cliffhanger ending, sans spoilers. “There will naturally be a flow of events that will lead all the way to the end of the season. 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.”
Squid Game season two has officially gotten a green light.
In June 2022, nine months after the release of its mega-hit first season, Netflix finally announced the renewal of its most-viewed original show. In addition to a brief teaser featuring the iconic Red Light, Green Light doll Young-hee, the streaming giant released a statement signed by Hwang and directed at the show’s fans.
“It took 12 years to bring the first season of Squid Game to life last year. But it took 12 days for Squid Game to become the most popular Netflix series ever,” reads the letter. “As the writer, director and producer of Squid Game, a huge shout out to fans around the world. Thank you for watching and loving our show.”
The statement goes on to confirm that season one winner Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) and Game master Front Man (Lee Byung-hun) will return. It also teases another cameo by Gong Yoo, who played recruiter the Salesman in season one, and hints that the next Game will involve a new robot mascot.
“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, Cheol-su. Join us once more for a whole new round.”
Hwang thinks season two will come out around late 2023.
In an interview for Vanity Fair’s June 2022 issue, Hwang revealed he was in final talks with Netflix about the second season, and that he expected the new episodes to come out in late 2023 or early 2024. He also told the outlet he had three pages’ worth of ideas for the script, and that the only character guaranteed to come back at the time was lead Gi-hun.
“I want to ask the question, ‘Is true solidarity between humans possible?’” the creator said of the second season’s theme. He also compared the dilemmas of the first season to humanity as a whole, saying the players weren’t capable of cooperating as a group. “If they were capable of talking with one another, of cooperating with one another, I do agree that there could have been a possibility that we could have seen more winners.”
“Humanity is going to be put to a test through those games once again,” he added.
The season one finale sets up a possible return.
The nine-episode series follows the Game from beginning to end, with the main hero, divorced dad Gi-hun, winning after his childhood friend turned enemy Cho Sang-woo (Park Hae-soo) sacrifices himself. In his shock and grief, Gi-hun refuses to spend the prize money for over a year. Eventually, he learns that the old man he befriended and betrayed over the course of the Game, Oh Il-nam (Oh Yeong-su), was secretly the mastermind behind it all.
After Oh Il-nam dies, Gi-hun discovers the Game is still going on. On his way to the airport to visit his daughter, he runs into the Salesman recruiting a new player. Instead of getting on the flight, Gi-hun walks away, vowing to stop the Game once and for all.
The vengeful ending leaves the story open for another installment, following Gi-hun as he opposes the wealthy masterminds behind the Game. The show was originally listed as a seasonal series on the platform, not a limited one, showing that a season two was always possible. Plus, Netflix has a history of releasing multi-season K-dramas. The historical zombie saga Kingdom and high-school romance Love Alarm both got two seasons.
Lee Jung-jae, Wi Ha-joon, and Lee Byung-hun will return for season two.
Since Squid Game follows a death match, most of the cast doesn’t make it through the first season. Except for Gi-hun, all of season one’s players have died, including fan favorite Kang Sae-byeok (Jung Hoyeon) and the secret mastermind Oh Il-nam.
Netflix confirmed that along with Lee Jung-jae’s Gi-hun and Lee Byung-hun’s Front Man, Wi Ha-joon, who plays Hwang Jun-ho, will return for the new season. Police detective Jun-ho’s return tracks with popular fan theories about the character, who spent the first season investigating the Game from the inside while searching for his missing brother. It turned out his brother was the Game’s masked Front Man the whole time, and the last we saw of Jun-ho, he was falling off a cliff into the ocean after being shot by his treacherous sibling.
Though Jun-ho was left for dead, we never actually see his body recovered from the water. It seems the cop made it out alive, and he’ll likely return with an even stronger conviction to take down the deadly Game once and for all.
Season two could reveal more details about the Front Man, Detective Jun-ho, and the Recruiter.
Hwang offered some new insight into the plot of a possible second season back in October 2021. He told CNN he would like to show the backstories of several of the show’s less-explored characters, including the Front Man and the Salesman.
“There are some loose ends I’d like to explore if I were to make a second season. The Front Man’s unexplained past, detective Jun-ho’s story. Those are things I didn’t explain in Season 1. If I were to do Season 2, I’d like to explain those elements. And the man with the Ttakji in his bags … the man who was played by Gong Yoo,” he said.
The creator also shared details about the Front Man in an interview with the Sunday Times. He revealed that, in addition to being Jun-ho’s older brother, the mysterious Game master is an ex-cop. Hwang also said the new season could touch on policing in Korea.
“I think the issue with police officers is not just an issue in Korea. I see it on the global news that the police force can be very late on acting on things—there are more victims or a situation gets worse because of them not acting fast enough,” he said. “This was an issue that I wanted to raise. Maybe in season two I can talk about this more.”
Wi Ha-jun, who plays Jun-ho, told Vulture he would also like to explore the relationship between Jun-ho and his brother in season two.
“I’m also dying to find out. I haven’t heard anything, so I really want to know what happened. If there is to be a season two, and if Jun-ho is to return, then I personally hope we can look into his relationship with his brother, as well as what made his brother make these choices and led him to being there. That’s my personal wish,” he said.
Hwang is in talks with Netflix about a possible season three.
The biggest K-drama ever may even continue past season two. In a December 2021 interview with Korean broadcaster KBS, per The Korea Times, Hwang revealed he has discussed a possible third season of Squid Game with Netflix, which would make the thriller one of the longest-running Korean dramas ever.
“I’m in talks with Netflix over season 2 as well as season 3,” Hwang said. “We will come to a conclusion any time soon.”
The streaming giant confirmed this in a statement to TVLine: “It’s true that we are discussing a wide variety of possibilities for Squid Game, including the production of a Season 3, but nothing has yet been set in stone.”
For anyone wondering just how far Netflix’s plans for the series go, co-CEO and chief executive officer Ted Sarandos gave a hint during the streamer’s fourth-quarter 2021 earnings interview, per Variety. When asked whether he could confirm the second season, the exec cited the show’s potential to expand into an entertainment franchise, comparing its popularity to Bridgerton and Stranger Things.
“Absolutely,” Sarandos answered. “The Squid Game universe has just begun.”
Quinci LeGardye is an LA-based freelance writer who covers culture, politics, and mental health through a Black feminist lens. When she isn’t writing or checking Twitter, she’s probably watching the latest K-drama or giving a concert performance in her car.
