The Netflix original K-drama features 456 debt-burdened people who are lured into playing extremely dangerous versions of children’s games for a chance to win 45.6 billion prize won (About $38.4 million USD).
Season 2 has already been confirmed by Netflix, and now, fans are wondering about the next season of Squid Game and when it could potentially be released. We also have some information about possible plot details about the sequel. Here’s everything we know about Squid Game Season 2 so far:
Will Squid Game Get Season 2 on Netflix?
On January 20, 2022, Netflix has officially greenlit Squid Game for a second season. As Variety reported, Netflix co-CEO and chief content officer Ted Sarandos was asked during Netflix’s fourth-quarter 2021 earnings interview if the streaming giant’s breakout series would return for its much-speculated second season. “Absolutely,” he replied. “The Squid Game universe has just begun.” Speaking with Vulture, Netflix’s Global TV Chief Bela Bajaria reportedly sounded “upbeat” about a renewal, though she said it would depend on writer/director Hwang Dong-hyuk’s interest and schedule. “He has a film and other things he’s working on,” Bajaria said. “We’re trying to figure out the right structure for him.” However, in September 2021, Dong-hyuk told Variety, “I don’t have well developed plans for Squid Game 2. It is quite tiring just thinking about it”, so while Netflix. Bejaria also told Variety that Dong-hyuk likes to collaborate with ‘other writers’ who might come on board for a sequel. “We’re trying to figure out the right structure for him.” On March 19, 2022, Hwang shared an update to Deadline about Squid Game Season 2: “There will be more great games, that’s all I can say.” Hwang teased. “I’m just still brainstorming and collecting the ideas for Season 2. I haven’t even started with the writing yet.” On June 12, Netflix shared a teaser for Squid Game Season 2 featuring the show’s iconic doll with her eye flashing “2”:
Squid Game Season 2 Release Date Speculation: When will the new episodes be released on Netflix?
Netflix has already confirmed a second season for Squid Game, but don’t expect the new episodes to arrive anytime soon. In May 2022, creator Hwang Dong-Hyuk revealed that he’s expecting Squid Game Season 2 to release on Netflix in late 2023 or sometime in 2024, Vanity Fair reported. According to the magazine’s report, Hwang only has three pages’ worth of ideas that he plans to turn into script, so there’s not much he can reveal about the next season except that more games will be featured. “Humanity is going to be put to a test through those games once again,” Hwang teased when asked about Squid Game Season 2. “I want to ask the question, ‘Is true solidarity between humans possible?’” It’s worth noting that Hwang started writing Squid Game as a film back in 2008, and he said that two episodes of the series took him six months to write, so that means it took 13 years before Netflix released his survival thriller. In September 2021, Dong-hyuk told Variety, “[I]f I were to do it, I would certainly not do it alone. I’d consider using a writers’ room and would want multiple experienced directors.” “In my earlier days, I’d drink half a bottle of soju (Korean liquor) to get the creative juices flowing. I can’t do that any more,” the filmmaker said. “Writing (‘Squid Game’) was harder than normal for me as it was a series, not a film. It took me six months to write and rewrite the first two episodes. Then I consulted verbally with friends, and picked up clues for improvements through my own pitching and from their responses.” If the filmmaker decides to team-up with other writers, the pace of completing the production of a second season would most likely be faster than the first. Since the first season was just released in 2021, expect Squid Game Season 2 to arrive in 2024 or later, but for now, all we can do it wait for Netflix announce an official release date. However, based on interviews with the writer/director, it sounds like Season 2 will be released sooner than originally planned.
Squid Game Season 2 Plot: What will the sequel be about?
Dong-hyuk has shared ideas on how he wants to expand the story of his survival thriller in Squid Game Season 2 Warning: Major spoilers from Squid Game Season 1 ahead. Speaking to The Times, Dong-hyuk said that if Netflix officially confirms a second season, he’d like it to focus on “the issue with police officers”. In the final episode of Squid Game Season 1, Gi-hun turned from the plane and walked back, presumably to enact revenge against the manipulative organizers of the survival games. This seems to open up a revenge-driven story for another season, but Hwang Dong-hyuk has other ideas. “While I was writing season one, I thought about the stories that could be in season two if I get to do one—one would be the story of the Frontman,” the director/writer said. The Front Man was the name given to the man in the black mask, seemingly the one managing the deadly competition for much of Season 1. It was revealed later on that he was Hwang In-ho, the brother of Hwang Jun-ho, the police officer who sneaks in the Game to investigate what happened to him. Because he was a former police officer, it’s the angle that Dong-hyuk wants to take. “I think the issue with police officers is not just an issue in Korea,” he said. “I see it on the global news that the police force can be very late on 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. Maybe in season two I can talk about this more.”
Knives Out director Rian Johnson previously revealed that Apple doesn’t allow villains to use iPhones on camera, but when Jun-ho was sneaking around the Front Man’s office, he passes an Apple computer. With that in mind, it’s likely that the Front Man is not the main villain. Squid Game Season 2 will most likely explore a lot more about Oh Il-Nam’s backstory. Played by O Yeong-su, Oh Il-Nam, a.k.a. Player 001, was first introduced as a competitor, but at the finale of Season 1, Gi-hun discovers that Oh Il-Nam is the true mastermind behind the survival games, and that he decided to join the competition because he wants to re-live the excitement of his younger years before he dies. Speaking to Radio Times, Dong-hyuk explained, “Oh Il-nam is a man of huge success from nothing. As we see from the phrase ‘the money man’, he is a veiled big shot in the financial industry. “It seems, however, the way how he years for the happy moments of his past shows that he has lost many things including his family and his humanity at the cost of success. If there will be a season two, we might reveal a little more about his past story.” Dong-hyuk went on to share more ideas on how to progress the story if Season 2 ever gets confirmed. “I do realise there are huge expectations for season two,” he said. “It’s not that I haven’t thought about season two at all, and I also do have a rough framework for it. But I keep asking myself whether I can make it better than season one. I do not want people to get disappointed over the new season.” “If I ever make season two, I will try to look up those many ideas, and of course if there are any good ones, I can bring them into the story,” he told Radio Times. “Since I prefer writing alone, maybe all these ideas on YouTube can function as my writer’s room. “Or maybe I can even ask the fans on social media to give ideas. In the meantime, I will try and think more while I work on films.” So, it sounds like Dong-hyuk is still brainstorming ideas for a new season of Squid Game. After all, there are still a lot of unanswered questions such as how the series of survival games actually started, how Hwang In-ho became the Front Man, and if his police brother Hwang Jun-ho is still alive after he was shot and fell at the edge of the cliff. On June 12, Hwang shared a message teasing the highly-anticipated sequel while confirming that Gi-hun and the Front Man will return. He also teased the possibility of the man in the suit with ddakji returning. The writer/director also teased that Squid Game Season 2 might introduce Young-hee’s boyfriend, Cheol-su.
Hwang Dong-hyuk revealed that there will be new games and characters in Season 2. “I have a set outline. I have a treatment of a whole season two episode with new games and new characters,” Hwang told E! News “I like it. I think it’s good. It’s better than what I expected.” n a new interview with the Los Angeles Times, writer/director Hwang Dong-hyuk shared that he was actually on an island with the show’s producers writing season 2 (how wild is this story?) when the news first came out about all of the Emmy nominations. The fact that the show is already being pieced together creatively is a sign of optimism, and it shows that filming should be able to kick off next year. Would we love for it to happen before that? Absolutely, but we recognize that much of the story will need to be cast since the majority of the key players from season 1 are now dead. During an August 2022 interview with Los Angeles Times, Hwang revealed that he was actually on an island with the show’s producers writing the second season when the news first came out about the Emmy nominations. Hwang told the outlet:
Squid Game Season 2 will likely explore the same themes as the first one. Actor Lee Jung-jae hasn’t forgotten the message of the series. Speaking to The Guardian about Squid Game’s massive success, the star says, “I’m happy about it, of course, but it’s bittersweet. Yes, it’s great that audiences are consuming Korean content around the world. And they appreciate it. But if you think about the themes of Squid Game–how far are we willing to go to accumulate personal wealth; the lengths people are forced to go to–the fact it resonated with so many around the world is worrying. You get a sense this is the reality for so many people globally. And that makes me feel hugely sad.”
Squid Game Season 2 Cast: Who will return and who are the newcomers?
Squid Game Season 2 has already been confirmed, and Lee Jung-jae will reprise his role as Seong Gi-hun. However, don’t expect most of the players from Season 1 to return since their characters already died, unless they feature flashback scenes showing their past. For this reason, we might see O Yeong-su reprise his role as Oh Il-nam if the sequel wants to delve into his backstory. At the finale of Season 1, the Front Man is still alive, so Lee Byung-hun will reprise his role, especially if writer/director Hwang Dong-hyuk decides to show how Hwang In-ho became the Front Man. If the police Hwang Jun-ho turns out to be alive after being shot in Season 1, it’s likely that Wi Ha-joon will reprise his role as the Front Man’s brother. In April 2022, writer/director Hwang Dong-hyuk joined TV editor Peter White for Deadline’s annual Contenders Television at Paramount, and revealed two big names who will return in Squid Game Season 2. “Gi-hun for sure. He will be back and I believe the Front Man will back too,” Hwang said.
Goo Yoo, the guy who invited people at the train station, will most likely return for Season 2. Speaking to Deadline on the red carpet at March 19’s PGA Awards ceremony, the show’s creator Hwang Dong-hyuk teased that HoYeon Jung, who plays Kang Sae-byeok in Squid Game Season 1, could return as a twin. “I’ll try something to bring them back to Season 2,” Hwang said, in reference to the main characters who died in Season 1. Then, the filmmaker gestured to HoYeon and said, “Let’s say maybe she has a twin sister, you’ll see.” As for newcomers joining the season, it will probably take years before Netflix announces any casting news, but we’ll update you here on Epicstream.com with the latest details when come out.
Squid Game Season 2 Trailer: When can we expect a trailer for the sequel?
It’s still unknown when Netflix will release a teaser or trailer for Squid Game Season 2, but we will update you here on Epicstream.com once the streamer launches one. For now, you can watch this unreleased clip that the director shared during Netfilx’s Tudum 2022 virtual event:
Will there be Squid Game Season 3?
Netflix also addressed the possibility of a Squid Game cinematic universe. “The Squid Game universe has just begun,” Netflix chief content officer and co-CEO Ted Sarandos told Deadline. At this point, Netflix hasn’t revealed how they would develop a Squid Game cinematic universe, but it will likely take years before the streaming giant can create something that big.
