Squid Game season 2

Squid Game
Season 2
Korean promotional poster featuring notable characters running away in a carousel-themed location with dead people on the ground
Promotional poster
ShowrunnerHwang Dong-hyuk
Starring
Release
Original networkNetflix
Original releaseDecember 26, 2024 (2024-12-26)
Season chronology
← Previous
Season 1
List of episodes

The second season of the South Korean dystopian survival thriller horror television series Squid Game, marketed as Squid Game 2, created for television by Korean writer and television producer Hwang Dong-hyuk, is set for release on December 26, 2024. The season is produced by Netflix.

The season stars Lee Jung-jae, Wi Ha-joon, Lee Byung-hun, Im Si-wan, Kang Ha-neul, Lee Jin-wook, Park Sung-hoon, Yang Dong-geun, Jo Yu-ri, Kang Ae-shim and Lee Seo-hwan. It is set three years after Seeing Gi-hun won Squid Game, giving up on going to the United States and returning with a new resolution in mind. He 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.

It will be followed in 2025 with a third and final season.

Episodes

[edit]
No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release date [1]
101"Bread and Lottery"
Transliteration: "Ppang-gwa Boggwon" (Korean: 빵과 복권)		Hwang Dong-hyukHwang Dong-hyukDecember 26, 2024 (2024-12-26)
112TBAHwang Dong-hyukHwang Dong-hyukDecember 26, 2024 (2024-12-26)
123TBAHwang Dong-hyukHwang Dong-hyukDecember 26, 2024 (2024-12-26)
134TBAHwang Dong-hyukHwang Dong-hyukDecember 26, 2024 (2024-12-26)
145TBAHwang Dong-hyukHwang Dong-hyukDecember 26, 2024 (2024-12-26)
156TBAHwang Dong-hyukHwang Dong-hyukDecember 26, 2024 (2024-12-26)
167TBAHwang Dong-hyukHwang Dong-hyukDecember 26, 2024 (2024-12-26)

Cast and characters

[edit]
Main article: List of Squid Game characters

Main cast

[edit]

Numbers in parentheses denote the character's assigned player number in the Squid Game universe.

Recurring

[edit]
  • Kim Byeong-cheol as Square Guard Instructor

Guest cast

[edit]
  • Gong Yoo as a salesman who recruits participants for the Game
  • Park Hye-jin as Sang-woo's mother
  • Park Si-wan as Kang Cheol
  • Kim Pub-lae as a loan shark

Confirmed

[edit]

Production

[edit]

Development

[edit]
Series creator and director Hwang Dong-hyuk

In late October 2021, Hwang stated he was in discussions with Netflix regarding a second season.[12] He further stated in December 2021 that he was also discussing a third season with Netflix.[13] Hwang wanted to produce another film first, as well as secure a contract with Netflix to release additional films he may create alongside further Squid Game seasons, so as to avoid becoming known only for Squid Game.[12] Hwang confirmed that he had begun conceptualization work on a second season during a press event in November 2021, with plans to bring back Lee Jung-jae to reprise his role of Gi-hun.[14] Netflix stated in response to Hwang's comments that they had not yet officially greenlit a second season, but were in discussions with Hwang towards one.[15] During an earnings call in January 2022, Netflix's Sarandos said when asked about a second season "Absolutely...the Squid Game universe has just begun."[16][17][18] Hwang said in April 2022 that he presently was working on Killing Old People Club, an adaption of a work called "Pape Satan Aleppe: Chronicles of a Liquid Society" by Umberto Eco (미친 세상을 이해하는 척하는 방법; "The way to pretend to understand the crazy world"), and anticipated that the second season of Squid Game would be completed and broadcast by 2024.[19] Netflix confirmed that the second season was greenlit in June 2022.[20][21] It will be released on December 26, 2024.[22]

Writing

[edit]

Due to the stress of writing and producing the first series of nine episodes himself, Hwang initially had no immediate plans to write a second season to Squid Game, and did not have well-developed plans for a follow-up story and said that if he were to write one, he would likely need a staff of writers and directors to help him.[23] However, with the immense popularity of the show, Hwang later opined about the possibility of a second season in 2021, telling CNN, "There's nothing confirmed at the moment, but so many people are enthusiastic that I'm really contemplating it."[24] Hwang also said in an interview with The Times that a second season may focus more on the story of the Front Man as well as incorporating more about the police: "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 in acting on things—there are more victims or a situation gets worse because of them not acting fast enough. This was an issue that I wanted to raise."[25] He added that he also wanted to explore the relationship between the cryptic Front Man and his policeman brother Hwang Jun-ho, as well as the background of the salesman character (portrayed by Gong Yoo).[26] Speaking about the games that appear in the season, Hwang said "They are once again simple children's games that a lot of kids in Korea grew up playing. I remember being on set and being reminded of my childhood days" but he also wanted to open up the games to be more universally recognized this time "In many different countries around the world, there will be some kind of version similar to these games that you probably have played as a child,...They're going to be both very easy to understand and play, and very fun."[27]

Casting

[edit]

In April 2022, Hwang confirmed that the characters of Gi-hun and the Front Man will return for the second season, and will introduce Cheol-su, Young-hee's boyfriend.[28][20] Hwang said that he would like to bring back some of the dead characters, such as Ji-young, and expressed regret that he had killed off several beloved characters since he did not have any plans for a second season at that time.[29]

During Netflix's Tudum: A Global Fan Event in June 2023, Lee Jung-jae was confirmed to reprise his role alongside Lee Byung-hun, Gong Yoo and Wi Ha-joon. On June 29, Netflix released more info on the new season's cast, which includes Kang Ha-neul, Park Sung-hoon, Im Si-wan, Yang Dong-geun, Park Gyu-young, Lee Jin-wook, Won Ji-an, Jo Yu-ri, Kang Ae-shim, Choi Seung-hyun, Lee David, and Roh Jae-won.[30][4][2]

Costume, set design, and filming

[edit]

Principal photography for the second season was scheduled to start in July 2023 and was expected to last for "at least 10 months".[31] On July 10, staff members of the production faced a controversy involving allegations of mistreatment towards citizens during filming at Incheon Airport. The production company issued an official apology on the matter.[32] Filming was reportedly underway in August 2023.[33] Filming wrapped on July 2024 and was filmed back-to-back along with the third season.[34]

Marketing

[edit]
Promo for Squid Game season 2 at Greenhills Shopping Center.

During Netflix Geeked Week in September 2024, a poster and a teaser for the season were released.[35][36]

On December 19, 2024, a rave party related to the season was held in London.[37] Famous streamer Ibai Llanos organized his own version of Squid Game with KFC.[38] Filipino journalist MJ Marfori attended the three-day event for the season and also interviewed Lee Jung-jae.[39]

Controversy

[edit]

Prior to release, the show attracted controversy for casting the cisgender male actor Park Sung-hoon to play the transgender female character Hyun-Ju, instead of casting a transgender actress. Criticism fell on both the casting of a cisgender person for the role instead of a transgender person, as well as for casting a cisgender man in particular as opposed to a cisgender woman. Some argued in response to this criticism that South Korea is conservative with regards to LGBT rights, and that trying to find a transgender actress willing to put herself in the spotlight was not reasonable.[40][41]

Release

[edit]

The season is set to premiere on December 26, 2024.[1]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Porter, Rick (July 31, 2024). "'Squid Game' to End With Season 3, Post-Christmas Return Set at Netflix". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on November 28, 2024. Retrieved July 31, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Netflix reveals Squid Game season 2 new and returning cast". Polygon. November 9, 2021. Archived from the original on June 17, 2023. Retrieved June 17, 2023.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Squid Game: Season 2 | Meet the Cast | Netflix. Netflix. December 4, 2024. Archived from the original on December 5, 2024. Retrieved December 5, 2024 – via YouTube.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i Porter, Rick (2023-06-29). "'Squid Game' Adds Eight Actors, Completes Season 2 Cast". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on June 29, 2023. Retrieved 2023-06-29.
  5. ^ "A YouTuber, a rapper, a shaman and more: Meet the 'Squid Game' season 2 characters". Korea JoongAng Daily. December 5, 2024. Retrieved December 5, 2024.
  6. ^ Rose, Hemaline (June 26, 2023). "'Squid Game 2': Female lead announced". Asiana Times. Archived from the original on December 22, 2023. Retrieved December 22, 2023.
  7. ^ Chin, Carmen (November 8, 2023). "'Squid Game' season two is "so far so good", says actress Kim Si-eun". NME. Archived from the original on December 22, 2023. Retrieved December 22, 2023.
  8. ^ [단독] 김시은, '오징어 게임2' 여주인공 캐스팅...제2의 정호연 될까 [[Exclusive] Kim Si-eun cast as the female lead in 'Squid Game 2'... Will she be the next Jung Ho-yeon?]. OSEN [ko] (in Korean). 2023-06-26. Archived from the original on December 22, 2023. Retrieved 2023-12-22.
  9. ^ Hwang So-young (December 20, 2023). [단독] '열일' 전석호 '범죄도시3' 이어 '오징어게임2' 출연 [[Exclusive] Jeon Seok-ho of 'Hard Day' appears in 'Squid Game 2' following 'Crime City 3'] (in Korean). JTBC. Archived from the original on December 20, 2023. Retrieved December 20, 2023.
  10. ^ KTimes (March 14, 2024). "Oh Dal-soo confirmed to join cast of 'Squid Game' season 2". TheKoreaTimes. Archived from the original on March 15, 2024. Retrieved March 15, 2024.
  11. ^ Lee, Seunghoon (2024-03-12). [단독]오달수 품는다..'오징어 게임2' 출연 확정 [종합]. Naver TV Entertainment (in Korean). Archived from the original on March 15, 2024. Retrieved 2024-03-15.
  12. ^ a b Jefferies, Stuart (October 26, 2021). "Squid Game's creator: 'I'm not that rich. It's not like Netflix paid me a bonus'". The Guardian. Archived from the original on October 26, 2021. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
  13. ^ ""Squid Game" creator says he's in talks with Netflix for 3rd season". The Korea Times. December 28, 2021. Archived from the original on December 28, 2021. Retrieved December 28, 2021.
  14. ^ Egan, Toussaint (November 9, 2021). "Squid Game creator confirms season 2, return of main character Seong Gi-hun". Polygon. Archived from the original on November 9, 2021. Retrieved November 9, 2021.
  15. ^ Whitten, Sarah (November 9, 2021). "'Squid Game' season 2 is 'in discussions, but not confirmed yet,' Netflix says". CNBC. Archived from the original on November 11, 2021. Retrieved November 12, 2021.
  16. ^ Spangler, Todd (January 20, 2022). "'Squid Game' Will Get a Second Season, Netflix Confirms". Variety. Archived from the original on January 26, 2022. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
  17. ^ Bailey, Kat (January 21, 2022). "Netflix Confirms Squid Game Season 2: 'The Squid Game Universe Has Just Begun'". IGN. Archived from the original on January 21, 2022. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
  18. ^ "Netflix confirms 'Squid Game' season 2, calls it the start of new "universe"". NME. January 21, 2022. Archived from the original on January 21, 2022. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
  19. ^ Keslassy, Elsa (April 5, 2022). "'Squid Game' Director Hwang Dong-hyuk Prepares 'Killing Old People Club' as Next Feature". Variety. Archived from the original on April 11, 2022. Retrieved April 5, 2022.
  20. ^ a b Roth, Emma (June 12, 2022). "Squid Game season two is finally, officially announced for Netflix". The Verge. Archived from the original on June 12, 2022. Retrieved June 12, 2022.
  21. ^ Anderson, Nellie (June 12, 2022). "'Squid Game' Season 2 Greenlighted By Netflix; Creator Hwang Dong-hyuk Teases Returning & New Characters". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on June 12, 2022. Retrieved June 12, 2022.
  22. ^ Palmer, Haasch (May 15, 2024). "'Squid Game' season 2 is coming in December, according to its star Lee Jung-jae". Business Insider. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
  23. ^ Frater, Patrick (September 24, 2021). "'Squid Game' Director Hwang Dong-hyuk on Netflix's Hit Korean Series and Prospects for a Sequel". Variety. Archived from the original on September 26, 2021. Retrieved September 25, 2021.
  24. ^ Sit, Jane; Kang, Liz (October 7, 2021). "'Squid Game' director Hwang Dong-hyuk: 'This is a story about losers'". CNN. Archived from the original on October 8, 2021. Retrieved October 8, 2021.
  25. ^ Cuttle, Jade (October 4, 2021). "Squid Game's Jung Ho-yeon: 'The most powerful lesson I learnt was to have faith in humanity'". The Times. Archived from the original on October 4, 2021. Retrieved October 4, 2021.
  26. ^ "Squid Game director Hwang Dong-hyuk shares plans for second season". The Straits Times (Singapore). October 10, 2021. Archived from the original on October 10, 2021. Retrieved October 10, 2021.
  27. ^ Bucksbaum, Sydney (September 20, 2024). "Squid Game director and star reveal 'heavier, darker' season 2 will be 'a game-within-a-game'". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on September 21, 2024. Retrieved September 21, 2024.
  28. ^ Choe, Brandon (April 9, 2022). "'Squid Game' Creator Reveals Return Of Two Key Characters For Season 2 — Contenders TV". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on April 11, 2022. Retrieved April 9, 2022.
  29. ^ Shin, Hyonhee; Kim, Dae-Woung (September 16, 2022). "'Squid Game' director in dilemma over reviving dead characters for 2nd season". Reuters. Archived from the original on September 18, 2022. Retrieved September 18, 2022.
  30. ^ "Netflix responds to Squid Game season 2 casting complaints". Digital Spy. 2023-06-21. Archived from the original on September 5, 2023. Retrieved 2023-09-05.
  31. ^ "Everything We Know About Netflix's 'Squid Game 2' So Far — Cast Release Date". L'Officiel USA. Archived from the original on September 5, 2023. Retrieved 2023-09-05.
  32. ^ 김민지 (2023-07-11). "'오징어 게임2', 촬영 중 스태프 갑질 논란 사과 "불편 끼쳐 사과" [공식]". 뉴스1 (in Korean). Archived from the original on September 5, 2023. Retrieved 2023-09-05.
  33. ^ "イ・ジョンジェ、『イカゲーム2』撮影2日休んで来日 初監督映画「作ってよかった」" [Lee Jung-jae took two days off from filming "Squid Game 2" to come to Japan. "I'm glad I made it", he said of his first film as a director]. ORICON NEWS. 2023-09-04. Archived from the original on September 5, 2023. Retrieved 2023-09-05.
  34. ^ Delgado, Sara (June 14, 2024). "Squid Game Seasons 2 & 3 Were Reportedly Filmed Back to Back". Vogue. Archived from the original on December 1, 2024. Retrieved December 1, 2024.
  35. ^ Rudoy, Matthew (September 19, 2024). "Squid Game Season 2 Poster Teases A Bloody Return For One Of Netflix's Most Popular Series". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on September 21, 2024. Retrieved September 21, 2024.
  36. ^ Rudoy, Matthew (September 20, 2024). "Squid Game Season 2 Trailer: Gi-hun Returns To The Games As New Tests Are Revealed". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on September 21, 2024. Retrieved September 21, 2024.
  37. ^ de Semlyen, Phil (December 12, 2024). "Exclusive: Netflix is throwing a massive 'Squid Game' rave at this London superclub – and tickets are free". Time Out. Archived from the original on December 19, 2024. Retrieved December 19, 2024.
  38. ^ Morán, Ángel (December 11, 2024). "Ibai Llanos anuncia su propia versión de El juego del calamar, en la que puedes ganar hasta 27.000 euros" [Ibai Llanos announces his own version of The Squid Game, in which you can win up to 27,000 euros]. Hobby Consolas (in Spanish). Archived from the original on December 20, 2024. Retrieved December 20, 2024.
  39. ^ Marfori, MJ (December 21, 2024). "Netflix ups the ante in global premiere for 'Squid Game 2'". Philstar Global. Retrieved December 22, 2024.
  40. ^ Wratten, Marcus (December 5, 2024). "Squid Game sparks backlash after cis man cast as trans woman". PinkNews | Latest lesbian, gay, bi and trans news | LGBTQ+ news. Archived from the original on December 7, 2024. Retrieved December 6, 2024.
  41. ^ Parker, Inga (December 5, 2024). "Squid Game season 2 faces scrutiny over casting choice for trans character". The Independent. Archived from the original on December 7, 2024. Retrieved December 6, 2024.
[edit]

Squid Game at IMDb

Television series set in the 2020s

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Squid_Game_season_2&oldid=1264765240"