Ever since Squid Game received a green flag in 2022 for the second season, fans of this thriller have been madly anticipating it to arrive on Netflix to experience the chill run through their spine all over again. For those unversed, Squid Game is a South Korean Netflix Original thriller series, written and directed by the Emmy winner, Hwang Dong-hyuk.
It constitutes a high-stakes game where 456 people compete to survive. The games are twisted versions of the classical Korean kids’ games to gain an exorbitant prize pot. Prize for only one winner among 456, things are bound to get cruel and relationships are fated to destroy. It took the show’s creator 12 years to create Squid Game. How much time will season 2 take?
Here are all the details you need to know about Squid Game season 2.
What is the overall performance of Squid Game season one on Netflix?
When Squid Game premiered on Netflix on September 17th, 2021, it dethroned Bridgerton from its highest place by breaking its record for the most-viewed Netflix original series ever. Seldom any show has received an impeccable critic score on Rotten Tomatoes. Enter Squid Game with a critic score of 94% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Nominated for the Bingeworthy Show of the Year Award, People’s Choice Awards and more, it’s not a complete surprise why Squid Game was renewed for a second season, despite it being ordered for only one originally. During Netflix’s fourth-quarter 2021 earnings interview, Ted Sarandos, Netflix’s co-CEO and the chief content officer was interviewed about whether the streaming giant’s breakout series would be renewed for a second season. Sarandos responded, “Absolutely. The Squid Game universe has just begun.”
COMEBACK SQUID: Hwang Dong-hyuk, the director, creator, writer of #SquidGame says the show will be back with more Gi-hun adventures. pic.twitter.com/uqC1DIdZqy
— AP Entertainment (@APEntertainment) November 9, 2021
Not only that, but Hwang Dong-hyuk, the show’s creator also confirmed the news to the Associated Press, disclosing that a new season is in the works. He explained, “There’s been so much pressure, so much demand and so much love for a second season. So I almost feel like you leave us no choice!” Hwang said. “But I will say there will indeed be a second season. It’s in my head right now. I’m in the planning process currently. But I do think it’s too early to say when and how that’s going to happen.”
Red light… GREENLIGHT!
Squid Game is officially coming back for Season 2! pic.twitter.com/4usO2Zld39
— Netflix (@netflix) June 12, 2022
Is Squid Game also renewed for a third season?
Speaking to Korea Times, Hwang Dong-hyuk disclosed one of the most interesting pieces of information. He revealed that he is in talks with Netflix for a second and third season, saying, “I’m in talks with Netflix over Season 2 as well as Season 3. We will come to a conclusion any time soon.” Considering that Squid Game trended in the top 10 lists of 94 countries when it premiered on the official streaming giant, a third-season renewal seems very realistic.
What to expect from Squid Game season 2?
In season one, unfortunately, we saw a majority of the show’s characters dying. This misery is also shared by the show’s creator, who said, while renewing the show for the second season, according to Reuters, “So many characters died, especially beloved ones died. I’m sorry I killed them so easily; I didn’t know this was coming…I want to revive Ji-young, but her best friend Sae-byeok also died, so I’m thinking about what to do.”
In September 2022, Dong-hyuk released a previously unreleased clip from season one which did not take more time to become a sensation. Described as “the shocking reveal of Front Man” by Netflix, in the video we see a man carrying a bag of goldfish before the camera reveals his face.
What does the goldfish signify? Only season 2 can tell.
TVGuide contends, “You ever play that game at a carnival where you throw ping pong balls at bowls of goldfish? Maybe that will be one of the games in Season 2, except instead of goldfish, they’re sharks, and instead of ping pong balls, it’s other people!”
Regardless of “a whole new round” of games that season 2 has in store for us, the upcoming installment of this South Korean thriller will advertently focus on the Frontman. In an interview with The Times, Dong-hyuk said, “While I was writing Season 1, I thought about the stories that could be in Season 2 if I get to do one — one would be the story of the Frontman.”
Elsewhere, in conversation with E! News, he disclosed that he already has a “set outline”, saying, “I have a treatment of a whole Season 2 episode with new games and new characters. I like it. I think it’s good. It’s better than what I expected.”
In conversation with Deadline on March 19, 2022, Hwang briefly disclosed what could the audience expect from season 2, saying, “There will be more great games, that’s all I can say. I’m just still brainstorming and collecting the ideas for Season 2. I haven’t even started with the writing yet.”
Who are the expected cast members of Squid Game season 2?
Season one showcased a lot of death. Consequently, we don’t expect a majority of the cast members featured in season one to reprise their roles in the upcoming season. With that said, we expect a lot of new characters to be introduced in the future. However, as per a tweet by Dong-hyuk, the main character, Seong Gi-hun aka Player 456, whose role is reprised by Lee Jung-jae will return, along with The Front Man, reprised by Lee Byung-hun. Dong-hyuk also teased, “The man in the suit with ddakji might be back.”
Not only that, but according to What’s on Netflix, the second actor who is confirmed to return is Lee Byung Hun as Hwang In-ho aka The Front Man. Gong Yoo is also confirmed to reprise his role as The Salesman.
What is the production status of Squid Game Season 2?
In conversation with Ilgan Sports, the lead Squid Game actor Lee Jung Jae disclosed the filming schedule, saying, “Squid Game 2 will begin filming in the summer and the filming will likely last for about 10 months. We were working on season 1 for about 10 months as well, but that was with delays caused by COVID-19. But seeing as season 2 will be bigger in scale, it will probably take longer to complete.” Based upon this update, What’s on Netflix states, “Ten months of filming will take production into the Spring of 2024.”
When can we expect Squid Game season 2 to arrive on Netflix?
If filming lasts for ten months, considering that it begins in the scheduled summer of 2023, the second season is expected to release in the latter half of 2024, sometime around Christmas. However, in a conversation with Vanity Fair in May 2022, Hwang speculated that the brand-new installment of Squid Game won’t release until the end of 2023 at the earliest.
For more release date updates on Squid Game season 2, stay tuned to Web News Observer!