Season 1 of Squid Game remains one of the most memorable first seasons of any show in Netflix history - so it's no surprise that fans are eagerly waiting for the show's second season. Ahead of Season 2 dropping in December, the creative mind behind Squid Game, writer and director Hwang Dong-hyuk, has teased some of the differences between the seasons. While Season 1 focused on the introduction of Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) into the games, Season 2 will apparently focus on the aftermath of these games.
Hwang, joined by Lee and co-star Wi Ha-Jun, made the comments at the Lucca Comics and Games convention in Italy (via Variety). "If Season 1 was about the story of Gi-hun, or player no. 456, entering Squid Game for the first time and about how he survives and leaves the game as a winner, Season 2 is going to be about Gi-hun [being] faced with his memories of the first game — the experiences of going through a new realization and awakening and returning once again to the game in order to stop this unjust game," Hwang said.
Hwang also told the crowd that Season 2 will feature Italian songs, though it is unclear if an Italian motif will play a larger role in the show. Hwang, who created the Korean-language series in 2021, is back as a writer and director for Season 2. He also serves as an executive producer on the show through his Siren Pictures production company.
'Squid Game' Remains Highly Acclaimed
The first season of Squid Game featured the gambling-addicted Gi-hun as he is thrust into the Squid Games, an event in which contestants must play a series of children's games to win a massive cash prize. The only catch - losing the game results in death. Gi-hun must make his way through the deadly games, including the now-iconic morbid version of "Red Light, Green Light," all while making friends and enemies in the game - and trying to make it home as the winner.
Squid Game received massive critical acclaim upon its release, becoming the most-watched non-English Netflix series of all time. Lee's performance as Gi-hun particularly received praise, and he became the first Korean actor to win the Emmy for Lead Actor in a Drama Series. Numerous other cast members received accolades and nominations; the show itself garnered 14 Primetime Emmy Awards and was the first non-English show to be nominated for Outstanding Drama Series. It should come as no surprise, then, that work on a third season is already underway, with Season 3 dropping on Netflix in 2025.
Squid Game Season 2 will premiere on Netflix on Dec. 26, 2024. The first season is streaming now.
Hundreds of cash-strapped players accept a strange invitation to compete in children's games. Inside, a tempting prize awaits with deadly high stakes: a survival game that has a whopping 45.6 billion-won prize at stake.
Release Date September 17, 2021
Cast Wi Ha-joon , Anupam Tripathi , Oh Yeong-su , Heo Sung-tae , Park Hae-soo , Jung Ho-yeon , Lee Jung-jae , Kim Joo-ryoung