We review everything we know about the continuation of Netflix’s most-watched series ever. Are you ready to play again?
“You leave us no choice!” With these words, Hwang Dong-hyuk confirmed that the second season of Squid Game is a reality. “There has been so much pressure, so much demand, and so much love for a second season… So I feel like you leave us no choice! But I will say that there will indeed be a second season. It’s in my head right now. I’m currently in the planning process. But I think it’s too early to say when and how it will happen. So, I’ll promise you this…”
Thus, Seon Gi-hun and company will return for a new season, aiming perhaps to once again be among the most-watched Netflix series in history and dominate conversations. But when will it release? What will the new episodes be about? Which characters will return? Here’s everything we know so far about Season 2 of Squid Game, and we’ll update this article as more information becomes available. Stay tuned!
Squid Game Season 2: Release Date
The series will return to Netflix, and there’s already talk of a third season of Squid Game. On February 26, 2023, Netflix Spain started teasing Twitter with the now-familiar teaser poster for the second season, but with the frustrating “Coming Soon” message:
Finally, Season 2 of Squid Game will premiere on Netflix on December 26, 2024.
Squid Game Season 2: Synopsis
According to Hwang Dong-hyuk: “Gi-hun will return and do something for the world.” This was expected, given the open-ended conclusion of the first season, where the protagonist chose not to board the plane to reunite with his daughter after receiving new information about the creators of the infamous game.
In a new interview with Vanity Fair, the creator revealed that he has only 3 pages of ideas, which he plans to use as the central plot for the new script. However, he has not yet begun writing, so the process will be lengthy.
“Humanity will be put to the test through those games once again,” Hwang said about the show’s return. The idea that players might unite as a group to survive the games was left open for interpretation during the first season. But in the upcoming episodes, Hwang wants to explore this concept: “I want to ask the question: ‘Is true solidarity between humans possible?'”
In a previous interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Hwang shared some thoughts on “other stories in the series that weren’t explored” in the first season.
“For example, the story of the police officer and his brother, the Front Man. If I end up creating the second season, I’d like to explore that story: What’s happening between those two brothers?” he said. “And then I could also delve into the story of the recruiter in the suit who plays the ddakji game with Gi-hun and gives him the card in the first episode.”
“And, of course, we could continue Gi-hun’s story and explore more of how he navigates his reckoning with the people designing the games,” he added. “But I still don’t know; I’ll just say there are many possibilities for the stories in Season 2.”
Squid Game Season 2: Cast
In a recent interview, Hwang confirmed that two characters will definitely return: “Gi-hun for sure. He will return, and I think the Front Man will also come back.” Easy.
One (Gi-hun, played by Park Hae-soo) is the sole survivor of the Squid Game trials. At the end of Season 1, he chose not to go to the U.S. to reunite with his daughter, driven by a greater purpose: to end the games he had won. The other, the Front Man (Lee Byung-hun under the mask), personally oversaw the 456 cash-strapped players who died in the latest macabre Olympiad.
Alongside them, four new faces have already been confirmed: Yim Si-wan, Kang Ha-neul, Park Sung-hoon, and Yang Dong-geun, although their roles in the new batch of episodes have yet to be revealed.
In mid-March, the creator hinted at a female name: HoYeon Jung, who played Kang Sae-byeok, the deceased player 067. Hwang said she might return as her twin sister.
Although the twin theory excites fans, some believe that player 067 could have escaped the coffin before the fire consumed it, meaning she could still be alive.
Another character who might return is the police officer, Hwang Jun-ho, who fell into the sea after being shot by his brother. However, his body was never found.
“While writing the first season, I thought about stories that could be in the second season; one would be the story of the Front Man and the detective. I believe the issue with police officers isn’t just a problem in Korea. I see on world news that the police force can take a long time to act on things: more victims or situations worsen because they don’t act quickly enough. This was a theme I wanted to raise. Maybe in Season 2, I can speak more about this.”
Squid Game Season 2: Trailer and Images
It took a while, so long that we began to think Season 2 of the series was an urban myth. We didn’t even know if it was being filmed. However, in February 2023, Netflix showed us that it’s real with the first images in an Instagram post. It was preceded by a short clip where we see Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) talking on the phone. A voice says to him, “You will regret the decision you made.” But our protagonist, the only survivor of the previous game, does not hesitate to challenge him: “I will find you, no matter what it takes.”
There’s a lot of action—and plenty of new haircuts—coming in Season 2 of Squid Game. We’ll see if it manages to repeat the phenomenon. Here is the official poster:
And finally, the first official trailer!
