'Squid Game' season 2: cast and everything we know so far
The first season of "Squid Game" came out of nowhere in 2021 to become the most-watched series in Netflix history. Although Korean shows have been consistently popular on Netflix, "Squid Game" achieved international success on a whole other level, surpassing the viewership of Netflix hits like "Stranger Things" and "Bridgerton." A show that popular warrants another season, even if creator Hwang Dong-hyuk never envisioned the show lasting beyond its initial nine episodes.
With Hwang onboard once again as writer and director, Netflix officially announced the second season of "Squid Game" in June 2022. Two years on, viewers have seen real-world contestants face the Game in the Netflix reality show, "Squid Game: The Challenge,", but we still don't have too much info about the series, even though its slated for release in 2024.
Plot details are still shrouded in mystery, though returning star Lee Jung-jae has dropped a few hints about what's to come in "Squid Game" season 2. It sounds like this second installment could be even more of an emotional watch than the first.
As the premiere draws closer, here's everything we know so far about "Squid Game" season 2.
'Squid Game' season 2 release date window
We don't have a precise "Squid Game" season 2 release date just yet, though Netflix has confirmed that the series will arrive at some point in 2024. This was a date previously mentioned in a January 2024 Netflix investor letter. As and when we get a more precise release date, we'll be sure to confirm it here.
Production on the season began in July 2023 and was expected to last around 10 months. Principal photography finished in spring 2024; allowing for an extensive post-production schedule, it's likely we won't be seeing the series until the end of the year.
That's a belief echoed by lead star, Lee Jung-jae, who told Business Insider that the series would debut in December 2024, but Netflix is yet to confirm whether this is true.
'Squid Game' season 2 cast
The cast for "Squid Game" season 2 is set to feature a mix of new and returning characters, as another round of violent versions of children's games gets underway. Breakout star Lee Jung-jae, who's also starring in the new Star Wars series "The Acolyte," is set to return as Seong Gi-hun, the protagonist of the first season and ultimate winner of the deadly competition.
Other cast members set to return include Lee Byung-hun as the sinister leader of the Game, known as the Front Man, and Gong Yoo as the unnamed salesman who finds players to join the Game. Wi Ha-joon will also return as undercover police officer Hwang Jun-ho.
Netflix has also announced an extensive list of new cast members, although info about their characters has not yet been revealed. Here's who will be joining "Squid Game" for its second season.
Park Gyu-young ("Sweet Home")
Jo Yu-ri (singer/actor, former member of South Korean-Japanese girl group Iz*One)
Kang Ae-sim ("Be Melodramatic," "Move to Heaven")
Lee David ("The Fortress")
Lee Jin-uk ("Sweet Home," "Miss Granny")
Choi Seung-hyun (singer/actor, "Tazza: The Hidden Card," "Commitment")
Roh Jae-won ("Missing Yoon," "Ditto")
Won Ji-an ("D.P.," "Heartbeat")
Yim Si-wan (member of South Korean boy band ZE:A)
Kang Ha-neul
Park Sung-hoon ("The Glory")
Yang Dong-geun ("Moving")
'Squid Game' season 2 plot
There has been no official word about the plot of "Squid Game" season 2, although it's safe to assume that the characters will once again be subjected to life-threatening versions of innocuous children's games in pursuit of huge amounts of money to pay off their debts and rise out of poverty. The new cast members may be playing new contestants who are recruited by the salesman to face the diabolical games devised by the Front Man.
The return of Lee Jung-jae as Seong Gi-hun and Wi Ha-joon as Hwang Jun-ho indicates that the two characters with reasons to take down the Game may be teaming up, and their efforts at sabotage may play out alongside the travails of the new contestants. Or they may be drawn back in to play the game themselves, despite their opposition to it. One thing's for sure: whatever shape the new season takes, they'll be facing some devilish new trials.
Whilst speaking to RadioTimes.com Lee Jung-jae claimed the script for season 2 is 'even more interesting' than the first. He also said he believes this next chapter has 'an even deeper emotion that's discovered within', and notes that the new season is full of twists and turns. Cryptic, but it suggests this new season will be just as gripping as the first.
Creator Hwang Dong-hyuk, who's set to write and direct every episode, told The Playlist that there are 'even better games' on the way. He's also referenced the possibility of bringing back characters who died in the first season, so it's possible that season 2 will incorporate flashbacks or surprise twists on the events of the first season. One thing that Hwang won't do is simply rehash the same plot with a new set of characters.
