Hwang Dong-hyuk with the 2022 Emmy Award for directing the TV series “Squid Game,” Photo: Lee Jin Man/AP
After a three-year hiatus, the phenomenal Netflix series Squid Game is back with a second season. The long-awaited premiere will take place on 26 December, and fans’ anticipation is at its peak. Director Gwang Dong-hyuk said that this time the budget allowed him to realise all his creative ideas.
How is Netflix preparing for the premiere?
To fuel interest in the series, Netflix ran a large-scale advertising campaign in different countries. In Bucharest, for example, people wearing the iconic pink jumpsuits of the series’ “guards” patrolled the city’s central streets for three days, attracting the attention of passers-by.
The popularity of the first season, released in September 2021, came as a surprise even to Netflix. The series was watched by more than 111 million users in the first 28 days after the premiere. Now, the streaming platform has decided to make The Squid Game a multi-season project, with the third season scheduled for 2025.
What will the second season be about?
The events of the second season continue the story of Song Gi-hoon (Lee Jong-jae), who, after winning the games, decides to expose the organisers. According to the official description, “Gi-hoon returns to the game three years later, using the money he wins to search for the mysterious creators of this deadly tournament.”
Gwang Dong-hyuk noted that this time the audience will see not only Gi-hoon’s confrontation with the organisation, but also his personal transformation. “The main intrigue of the second season is the conflict between Gi-hoon, who wants to stop the game, and the Frontman, who is doing everything to keep it going,” said the director.
New heroes and a large-scale approach
They will return to the cast:
- Lee Jong-jae (Song Gi-hoon);
- Woo Ha-joon (Detective Hwang Jun-ho);
- Lee Byung-hong (Frontman);
- Kon Yu (a mysterious recruiter).
However, most of the characters from the first season died, so the second season will introduce many new characters. According to the director, the scope of the story has grown significantly, and the budget allowed us to shoot scenes that were previously unavailable.
Will the second season repeat the success of the first?
“The Squid Game remains Netflix’s most watched series with over 2.2 billion hours of viewing in the 91 days since its premiere. The success of the series has led to international recognition: it received 14 Emmy nominations and won 6, including Best Director and Best Actor.
The second season will consist of 7 episodes and already promises to surpass the first in terms of scale and intrigue. Netflix has even abandoned the traditional Christmas premieres of major films, betting on the return of the Korean hit.
Get ready for a new round of deadly game – the second season of Squid Game is on the way!
