Squid Game Season 2 Plot, Cast, Director, First-Look Footage And More Details
Every once in a while, a TV show will come along and grab everyone's attention. In 1983, the final episode of "M*A*S*H" became the most-watched television broadcast ever when it first aired. In the 2010s, everyone was gathering around the watercooler to talk about "Game of Thrones." And in September 2021, Netflix introduced the world to "Squid Game," the bloody South Korean series that would go on to become the most-watched show in the streamer's history.
Part heartbreaking drama, part dark comedy, part gore-drenched horror, and 100% a scathing critique of capitalism, "Squid Game" appealed to audiences all over the world. The plot revolved around 456 poverty-stricken participants manipulated into playing deadly children's games, all for the amusement of elite viewers. And we couldn't look away either, even as beloved characters were killed in the most shocking and devastating ways.
Now, it looks like even deadlier games are heading our direction, as "Squid Game" Season 2 is in the works. Will anyone be returning from the first season to compete again? When can we expect to see the show hit Netflix? And will the showrunner who spent so many years crafting a perfect season of TV return for the next installment? Well, read on for everything you need to know about "Squid Game" Season 2.
When will Squid Game Season 2 be released?
The year 2024 has been a pretty big one for Netflix so far. The streamer released new series like the live-action "Avatar: The Last Airbender" and "3 Body Problem," which hailed from "Game of Thrones" showrunners D.B. Weiss and David Benioff, and soon, we'll see the return of old favorites, like Season 3 of "Bridgerton" and Season 6 of "Cobra Kai." However, we're pretty sure Netflix's biggest hit of the year will be the return of "Squid Game." In April 2024, company CEO Ted Sarandos told shareholders during the site's first-quarter earnings call that Season 2 of the violent K-drama would be hitting the streamer in the second half of the year. We're pretty excited to head back to this bloody world, and we're just hoping Seong Gi-hun can survive the competition yet again.
What is the plot of Squid Game Season 2?
In the first season of "Squid Game," impoverished debtor Seong Gi-hun won the titular contest, discovered his supposedly dead gganbu was one of the rich elites pulling the strings, and then declared war on the entire operation. As you might expect, "Squid Game" Season 2 will pick up here, with Gi-hun using his new resources to stop the games.
This was confirmed by series creator Hwang Dong-hyuk in August 2022, when he told The Hollywood Reporter, "I've seen many reactions from people about the show, but I don't want to make Season 2 as a response to those reactions. ... 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. There will naturally be a flow of events that will lead all the way to the end of the season. ... Season 2 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."
Netflix confirmed this approach in February 2024, revealing the second season "will follow Gi-hun as he abandons his plans to go to the U.S. and starts a chase with a motive." Hwang has also expressed a desire to focus on some of Season 1's most enigmatic characters. For example, he's said that he wants to explore the complex relationship between the mysterious Front Man and his police officer brother. In October 2021, he also told The Hollywood Reporter that he'd like to "go into the story of that recruiter in the suit who plays the game of ddakji with Gi-hun and gives him the card in the first episode."
Who is starring in Squid Game Season 2?
Understandably, we won't be seeing a ton of returning characters from "Squid Game" Season 1 as most of them never got off that island (RIP Ali, you live on in our hearts). However, we do know that Lee Jung-jae is returning as protagonist Seong Gi-hun, who plans on taking the elite to task and stopping their sick games from ever happening again. After the first season of "Squid Game," Lee landed a major role in the upcoming "Star Wars" series "The Acolyte," and we can't wait to see him back as Gi-hun.
Also returning, Lee Byung-hun will play the murderous Front Man and Wi Ha-joon will star as his not-dead-yet brother, Detective Hwang Jun-ho. Gong Yoo of "Train to Busan" fame is also coming back as the creepy recruiter, so prepare to see a few more people get slapped in subway stations. We also know the new names joining the line-up. The first batch of new actors announced for the series were Yim Si-wan ("The Attorney"), Kang Ha-Neul ("Midnight Runners"), Park Sung-hoon ("The Glory"), and Yang Dong-geun ("Yaksha: Ruthless Operations"). Shortly thereafter, we learned "Squid Game" was rounding out the cast with singer Jo Yu-ri, Park Gyu-young ("It's Okay to Not Be Okay"), Kang Ae-sim ("Move to Heaven"), Lee David ("Itaewon Class"), Lee Jin-uk ("Glass Castle"), rapper Choi Seung-hyun (aka T.O.P.), Roh Jae-won ("Missing Yoon"), and Won Ji-an ("If You Wish Upon Me").
Who is writing and directing Squid Game Season 2?
"Squid Game" was a passion project for creator Hwang Dong-hyuk. He tried to sell the idea as a movie back in 2008, only to be repeatedly told it wouldn't work. They said it was too violent. They said it wasn't realistic. By the time the show actually aired on Netflix over 10 years later, "Squid Game" felt shockingly plausible, and it stunned millions of viewers across the world, becoming the streamer's most successful show.
With those kinds of numbers, it only makes sense that Netflix and Hwang would want to keep that train running (even if making the first season was so stressful that he lost six teeth during filming). Hwang wrote and directed every episode of Season 1, and he's also running the show again here, serving as writer, director, and producer. Speaking with Tudum about how he's approaching the second installment of one of the most popular series ever made, Hwang explained, "I keep telling myself that I should focus on creating a story that I trust, love and care [about]. And I should carry on with what I think is right, not what would please others."
Is there a trailer for Squid Game Season 2?
While we've yet to see a trailer for "Squid Game" Season 2, we did get a quick glimpse of the thrills to come. In February 2024, Netflix released a video teasing their biggest movies and shows of 2024, such as the fourth season of "The Umbrella Academy" and the second "Rebel Moon" movie. However, the highlight of the promo has to be the few seconds where we get a quick glimpse of "Squid Game" Season 2.
The footage seemingly picks up right where Season 1 left off, with a red-headed Seong Gi-hun deciding to skip his trip to America and instead focus on bringing down the shadowy organization running the deadly contest. As our determined hero walks through the airport, he gets a phone call, and the mysterious voice on the other end threatens, "You're going to regret the choice you made." Unphased, Seong Gi-hun promises, "I will find you." And we can't wait to find out what'll happen when he finally does.