Netflix's Squid Game Season 2: Release Date, Trailer, Story And More

As part of their 'Halloween and Chill' series, Netflix dropped Squid Game in September 2021, and it quickly became one of their most popular releases to date.

Starring Lee Jung-jae, Park Hae-soo and Wi Ha-jun, Squid Game sees hundreds of people compete in children's games with the chance to win a $40m prize. Sounds harmless, right? Er, wrong - participants soon discover that the stakes are far higher (and more violent) than they realised.

It's not one for the faint-hearted and the brutality is pretty full on, but the k-drama seemed to get *everyone* talking. So, will there be a season 2 of Squid Game? Yes! It's already been confirmed. Here's what you need to know.

*Spoilers*

Has Squid Game season 2 been announced?

Great news: Squid Game season 2 has officially been confirmed by Netflix. Yay!

The streaming platform's co-CEO and chief content officer, Ted Sarandos, announced the news during an interview on Netflix’s fourth quarter 2021 earnings, according to reports from Variety. Asked whether there would be a second series of Squid Game, Sarandos responded, "Absolutely. The Squid Game universe has just begun."

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So, there you have it: it's official. Plus, Sarandos' mention of a "Squid Game universe" also points towards further potential developments for the series. Exciting.

The news from Netflix follows a previous update from Squid Game creator, Hwang Dong-hyuk, who discussed a second series back in November 2021.

Two months after series one was first released, Hwang Dong-hyuk confirmed that the second season was officially in the works, telling Associated Press, "So there’s been so much pressure, so much demand and so much love for a second season.

"I almost feel like you leave us no choice! But I will say, there will indeed be a second season. But I do think it’s too early to say when and how it’s going to happen. So I will promise you this… Gi-hun will come back, he’ll do something for the world."

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In September 2021, the director admitted he first started writing Squid Game all the way back in 2008, so another series could take a while to think up. "I don’t have well developed plans for Squid Game 2," he told Variety. "It is quite tiring just thinking about it. But if 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."

What could happen in Squid Game season 2?

Speaking to Entertainment Weekly in December 2021, creator Hwang Dong-hyuk said the show’s main character Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) might have to make a decision between good and evil, if he goes through a similar transition to play the Front Man.

"Some end up Jedi and some become Darth Vader, right? I think that maybe Gi-hun will go through a certain critical point where he is put through a test as well,” he said. "If I had to be a Front Man, I would be the most scary Front Man you would ever see.”

Dong-hyuk previously told The Hollywood Reporter that he's had some ideas for a follow-up. "There are some other stories in the series that have not been addressed," he commented.

 

"For example, the story of the police officer and the story of his brother, The Front Man. I could also 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. I’ll just say there are a lot of possibilities out there for season 2 storylines."

He later told The Guardian, "Of course there is talk [about season 2.] That's inevitable because it's been such a success. I am considering it. I have a very high-level picture in my mind, but I'm not going to work on it straight away."

 

Who would star in Squid Game 2?

As the majority of Squid Game's players died during the first season, including Kang Sae-byeok (Jung Ho-yeon) and the secret mastermind Oh Il-nam, only Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) remains.

This suggests season 2 would require a whole new cast. Producers would then have to decide whether it's a case of choosing a different set of characters to enter the same game, or developing the game to include a whole different set of dangerous tricks. Or, as some fans think, could it involve Gi-hun trying to shut the game down all together?

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What happens at the end of Squid Game season 1?

The nine-episode series follows the deadly game and its participants, to see who eventually wins the money to take home. Divorced dad Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) wins the game after childhood BFF-turned-enemy Cho Sang-woo (Park Hae-soo) sacrifices himself.

Gi-hun refuses to spend the prize money for over a year, before eventually learning the old man he betrayed over the course of the game, Oh Il-nam (Oh Young-soo), was secretly the mastermind behind it all.

After Oh Il-nam dies, Gi-hun discovers that the game is actually still on, running into the Salesman (Gong Yoo) recruiting new players. Gi-hun vows to stop the game once and for all, which *does* leave an obvious story line for season 2.

When might Squid Game season 2 be released?

Squid Game was first announced in 2019, with production taking two years to complete and later dropping in September 2021. So even with the most optimistic timeline, Season 2 probably wouldn't arrive until late 2023. Eek.

 

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