Pink gentle, inexperienced gentle… Squid Recreation is opening its doorways for season 2!
Following the groundbreaking debut of the riveting Korean drama, Netflix introduced that the season 2 of Squid Recreation is approaching Dec. 26.
In a teaser shared to X (previously Twitter) on Thursday, Squid Recreation members run and fall down on a race monitor as screams are heard within the background. On a close-by podium, a bunch of uniformed and circle-shaped masked males oversee the sport, with the Entrance Man standing menacingly in all black within the center.
“It’s been three years,” he says. “Do you want to play again?”
“The real game begins,” the video reads. “Season 2 December 26.”
However that is not all. Along with the anticipated nine-episode follow-up, it seems that Netflix can also be gearing up for “the final season coming 2025.” The teaser then flashes to the notorious outsized creepy doll from the Pink Gentle, Inexperienced Gentle recreation performed within the breakout 2021 season.
Hwang Dong-hyuk, the director, author and govt producer of Squid Recreation, took to X to share a letter expressing his pleasure for the brand new seasons.
“The real game begins. It’s been almost three years since Season 1 was met with incredible response around the world and many unimaginable events took place. I am beyond excited to be writing this letter to announce the date for Season 2 and share the news of Season 3, the final season,” he wrote. “On the first day we began shooting Season 2, I remember thinking, ‘Wow, I can’t believe I’m back in the world of Squid Game.’ It almost felt surreal. I wonder how it will feel for you to be back in Squid Game after three years, as well.”
He then gave a sneak peek of what viewers ought to count on to see in season 2 and three.
“Seong Gi-hun who vowed revenge at the end of Season 1 returns and joins the game again. Will he succeed in getting his revenge? Front Man doesn’t seem to be an easy opponent this time either,” he wrote. “The fierce clash between their two worlds will continue into the series finale with Season 3, which will be brought to you next year.”
After being topped its most-watched collection ever with 1.6 billion complete hours watched throughout its opening month, Netflix co-CEO and chief content material officer Ted Sarandos revealed in January 2022 that “the Squid Game universe has begun.” A season 2 greenlight was made official by Netflix in June 2022, 9 months after the collection premiered, with Dong-hyuk again to supervise your complete factor.
Squid Recreation follows abnormal individuals compelled to enter a secret competitors, the place they might both win an enormous money prize or lose their life. Season 1 centered on divorced father and gambler, Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae), who unexpectedly outwits and outlasts his fellow opponents till he makes it to the top and discovers there may be way more to the video games than he initially thought.
The recognition of Squid Recreation skyrocketed quickly after its September 2021 debut, catapulting actress Jung Ho-yeon, who performed Kane Sae-byeok, into the present’s breakout star and dominating the popular culture dialog world wide.
This is what we all know to this point concerning the anticipated new season of the Korean thriller.
When will season 2 premiere?
Squid Recreation season 2 premieres Dec. 26 on Netflix.
Netflix launched official pictures from the primary forged desk learn for season 2 on June 28, 2023, which passed off earlier within the week, in response to the streaming service. Manufacturing started in late 2023. The second season is now formally approaching Dec. 26, whereas the third and last season releases someday in 2025.
Who’s within the forged?
Returning for season 2 is Emmy winner Lee Jung-jae as lone recreation survivor Seong Gi-hun, Wi Ha-joon as Hwang Jun-ho, Lee Byung-hun because the Entrance Man and Gong Yoo because the Salesman.
They are going to be joined by new forged additions Yim Si-wan, Kang Ha-neul, Park Sung-hoon and Yang Dong-geun, who Netflix confirmed shall be new gamers within the recreation.
The ensemble shall be rounded out by Park Gyu-young, singer and former Iz*One member Jo Yuri, Kane Ae-sim, Lee David, Lee Jin-uk, rapper-actor Choi Seung-hyun (whose stage identify is T.O.P.), Roh Jae-won and Gained Ji-an.
The place you’ve got seen the brand new faces
Jo Yuri and Choi Seung-hyun, often known as T.O.P., could also be acquainted to Ok-pop followers.
The previous is an ex-member of the lady group, Iz*One, which disbanded in 2021. The 21-year-old singer debuted as a solo artist later that yr with the discharge of Glassy. She adopted that up in 2022 with the five-track album, Op.22 Y-Waltz: In Minor with the summer time title track, “Love Shhh!”
T.O.P. made his debut in 2006 as lead rapper for the Ok-pop group, BigBang, which included members G-Dragon, Taeyang, Daesung and Seungri. The 35-year-old is not any stranger to the display, making his appearing debut within the Korean TV rom-com collection, I Am Sam, in 2007 and later his movie debut in 2010 with the Korean battle drama, 71: Into the Hearth.
Different new forged additions have beforehand labored collectively, with Park Gyu-young and Lee Jin-uk co-starring within the 2020 horror collection Candy Residence. Lee David additionally has ties to Hwang, taking part in a supporting position within the Squid Recreation creator’s previous movie, The Fortress, and starring reverse Lee Jung-jae in Svaha: The Sixth Finger.
Who is not returning?
Sadly, many fan favorites will not be returning — partially as a result of the vast majority of the characters are useless.
A kind of authentic forged members is breakout star Jung Ho-yeon, who performed North Korea defector Kang Sae-byeok in season 1. The Emmy-nominated actress all however confirmed that she will not be showing in Squid Recreation season 2, saying in an interview with The Korea Herald in 2021, “To be honest, I have never thought about [participating in] the next season, because I am dead. We should all wait for brilliant imagination and ideas from the director and Netflix.”
Nonetheless, in 2022, Hwang appeared to go away the door barely ajar when requested about the potential for seeing Jung once more. “Let’s say maybe she has a twin sister, you’ll see,” the director joked.
And whereas engaged on season 2, Hwang expressed regrets over killing off memorable characters, notably Ji-yeong, performed by actress Lee Yoo-mi. “I want to revive Ji-yeong, but her best friend Sae-byeok also died, so I’m thinking what to do,” he acknowledged in September 2022. “So many characters died, especially beloved ones. I’m sorry I killed them so easily; I didn’t know [season 2] was coming.”
What occurred on the finish of season 1?
Season 1 ends with Gi-hun profitable the ultimate Squid Recreation, beating Cho Sang-woo and refusing to kill him. As an alternative, he begs Sang-woo to cease the sport via a loophole within the guidelines, however Sang-woo finally ends up fatally stabbing himself within the neck.
The finale episode flashes ahead one yr later and Gi-hun, who’s given the hefty prize cash by way of a financial institution card, continues to be struck by the trauma he skilled in the course of the video games and the demise of his mom. It is revealed he hasn’t spent his prize cash. He later provides a portion of it to Sang-woo’s mom and Sae-byeok’s brother.
After visiting fellow participant and pal Oh Il-nam, who’s dying, Gi-hun learns the reality concerning the existence of the video games — that it was created by him solely to entertain the wealthy. After Il-nam dies, Gi-hun discovers that the sport continues to be persevering with after recognizing the Salesman attempting to recruit one other participant on the airport.
Although he initially has plans to board the aircraft to go to his daughter in Los Angeles in an try to reconnect, Gi-hun — after getting the participant’s invitation card — dials the quantity earlier than his flight and calls for to know who’s overseeing the video games.
The one that solutions the telephone tells Gi-hun to board his flight, however he has different plans as his anger intensifies. Gi-hun turns round and as a substitute of getting on the aircraft, walks again to the terminal. Is he about to take revenge and cease the sport as soon as and for all?
“The scene where Seong Gi-hun turns around and decides to not get on the plane, that’s not a decision that he just makes for the happiness of himself and for himself only,” Hwang instructed ET in November 2021. “It is to present this very question that we wanted to convey through the series, which is, ‘Is the world that we’re living in worthy of living?'”
“So the way that he looks straight into the camera is really in a way asking the audience that very question,” he famous.
What’s season 2 about?
Primarily based on Dong-hyuk’s tweet, season 2 will discover the battle between the Entrance Man and Gi-hun. The race proven within the teaser means that extra childhood video games with a lethal twist are in retailer for members hoping to win the large money prize on the finish.
The primary footage from season 2 was launched in February, exhibiting a clip that picks up proper the place season 1 ended. We see Gi-hun strolling out of the airport terminal when his telephone buzzes.
“You are going to regret the choice you made,” the voice warns.
“I will find you,” Gi-hun threatens in return. “No matter what it takes.”
Months after season 1 dropped, Hwang revealed in June 2022 that audiences can even “be introduced to Young-hee’s boyfriend, Cheol-su” in season 2.
He additionally shared in October 2021 that the brand new season could delve deeper into the backstories of Squid Recreation‘s supporting characters, such because the Entrance Man and the Salesman.
“There are some loose ends I’d like to explore if I were to make a second season. The Front Man’s unexplained past, detective Jun-ho’s story. Those are things I didn’t explain in season 1. If I were to do season 2, I’d like to explain those elements,” Hwang instructed CNN. “And the man with the ddakji [a Korean game] in his bags… the man who was played by Gong Yoo.”
Hwang disclosed that the enigmatic recreation grasp is a former cop, along with being Jun-ho’s older brother, the latter of which could possibly be touched on within the upcoming episodes. He hinted that season 2 might additionally discover policing.
“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,” he stated in October 2021. “Maybe in season 2, I can talk about this more.”
Will there be a season 3?
Sure! The third and last season of Squid Recreation was introduced by Netflix and is coming in 2025.
Some followers anticipated a 3rd season forward of the official announcement as a result of Hwang shared in a December 2021 interview with KBS, a Korean broadcasting station, that he was in conversations with Netflix about persevering with Squid Recreation via season 3.
Netflix responded to a report in Might 2023 that it was transferring ahead with a 3rd season, not confirming nor denying the event in its assertion: “Because we are still in the early stages, the concrete details have not yet been decided.”
Season 1 of Squid Recreation is streaming now on Netflix.
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