The massive success of “Squid Game” has convinced creator Hwang Dong-hyuk to make a second series season. What is already known about it, you can read here.
Hwang Dong-hyuk invented “Squid Game” and immediately triggered hype on Netflix. The series could become the most successful of all time at the provider. Fans and Netflix wanted a second season. Only the series creator was initially not particularly enthusiastic about the topic of a sequel, but then came an official commitment on his part that he is ready to take care of it. All this dragged on, and judging by the latest announcements; it will be quite a while before the second season starts.
When asked if a second season of “Squid Game” is coming, Ted Sarandos, co-CEO at Netflix, replied, “Absolutely, The ‘Squid Game’ universe has just begun.” The fact that series creator Hwang Dong-hyuk has also already philosophized about a third season of “Squid Game” is not the only thing that seems to be in store for us. At the very least, we can’t get past the biggest reality show for the series, Netflix’s “Squid Game: Challenge.” The final calls for applications are out.
In September, at Netflix‘s Tudum event, the author delighted fans with an edited-out scene from the first season. Here you can see the video.
Hwang’s announcement to disregard the fans’ reactions, theories, and wishes during the production of the second season was not met with so much enthusiasm:
In June, a short clip about the next season and a message from the writer, director, producer, and creator of “Squid Game,” Hwang Dong-Hyuk, was released:
In his Twitter address, he tells fans he is very grateful to the fans who watched his format so massively that “Squid Game” could become the most successful series after only 12 days. Then he gives us some hints about the new season:
“And now: Gi-hun returns. The front man returns. Season 2 is coming. The man in the suit with Ddakji may return. You will also meet Young-hee’s friend, Cheol-su.”
So the next round is on, the man in the suit is looking for recruits*, and Young-hee’s friend is probably directly related to the little clip because Young-hee is the big doll who can kill with her eyes.
Squid Game season 2: The approximate schedule is set – when is the Netflix launch?
The creator is currently involved in work on a film titled “KO Club,” an acronym for “Killing Old Men Club,” he announced some time ago. Hwang Dong-hyuk has pitched the project as a war between generations. As Variety writes, a 25-page treatment has already been ready for some time. The film is expected to be even more violent than “Squid Game,” and according to the writer, it’s also supposed to be a controversial idea. It won’t have been easy for Netflix to swear the creative man to a schedule for the series, but as can also be read in the linked article at Variety, Hwang Dong-hyuk is planning to head to South Korea now to write on the second season. Rumor has it that it took twelve years from the creation of “Squid Game” to its premiere, so we can only hope that the plan is not too optimistic. But fans will need a little patience in any case.
Actor Lee Jung Jae takes hope for early start of second season
In an interview with allkpop, Lee Jung Jae, who plays Seong Gi-hun in “Squid Game” and will do so in the second season, made it known that filming will not start until the summer of 2023. Work on season 1 would have taken ten months, but season 2 could well take even longer, he speculated. So either Netflix will present us with “Squid Game Season 2” as a Christmas present at the latest, or we’ll have to wait until 2025.
Hwang Dong-hyuk is already talking about season 3
In an interview with Korea Times, Deadline reports, Hwang Dong-hyuk had already expressed plans for a third season. There, the Squid Game creator said, “I am in talks with Netflix about the second season, as well as a third season. We will come to a conclusion soon.” He said that in December 2021, before Netflix made the second season official in January 2022.
“Squid Game” Season 2: With a different director and a Writer’s Room?
Speaking to Variety and numerous other interviews, the director and writer of the South Korean series, Hwang Dong-hyuk, has previously spoken out about a possible second season. Although he is naturally pleased about the remarkable success, creating “Squid Game” was a long and exhausting process for him, during which he lost six teeth due to stress. Landing an absolute hit isn’t all that new for him either, as his 2011 film “Silenced” and 2017’s “The Fortress” were also big hits with audiences. His nostalgic musical comedy “Miss Granny” is one of the most successful Korean films ever and has been remade in seven countries. Even before he was persuaded to do a second season, however, Donk-hyuk made it clear that he would not do it all by himself again:
“I don’t have any more deeply developed plans for ‘Squid Game 2.’ It’s quite tiring just trying to think about it. But if I were to do it, I certainly wouldn’t do it alone. I think I would work with a Writer’s Room and different, experienced directors*.”
It’s certainly better for him health-wise, too, if he doesn’t have to do it alone:
“In my earlier days, I drank half a bottle of soju to get the creative juices flowing. I can’t do that anymore. The writing was harder than normal for me because it was a series, not a movie. It took me six months to write and revise the first two episodes.”
Meanwhile, the writer and showrunner have confirmed that he plans to rely on a team of writers and producers for the second season.
What could happen next with “Squid Game” in season 2?
Despite his reluctance to do a second season, the series creator has already given some thought to what might happen next. Surprisingly, there is another focus as a possibility because it could be primarily about the guards, whose masks and overalls you can order in the real world, by the way.
The “Darth Vader” test
In a virtual panel with EW, the “Squid Game” creator he chatted a bit more about the potential second season, which will most likely revolve around the so-called Frontman Hwang In-ho, who oversees the competitions in the games and is the brother of Hwang Jun-ho, the police officer who snuck into the games to investigate Hwang In-ho’s disappearance. The returnee Gi-hun, who showed his humanity more passively in the first season, will also play a significant role. In the possible second season, he is expected to do so more actively with everything he has learned about the games. On the other side is Frontman, also a former game-winner, who subsequently decided to become part of these deadly games and monitor them and kill people in the process. This is a Darth Vader situation for the series creator: you have to choose sides; some become a Jedi, and others become Darth Vader. Hwang In-ho selected Darth Vader, and Gi-hun will also reach a critical point where he will have to face this test.
At the end of the first season, Gi-hun is still pursuing good plans when he decides to return instead of taking a plane to the US to see his family. But what impact he would make on the game in the second season remains a mystery.
You can spend the waiting time until the second season with “Battle Royal” or “Hunger Games,” for example; especially recommended and perhaps also an inspiration for the series: the Japanese film “As the Gods Will” (2014) by Miike Takashi. At the very least, check out the trailer here:
“Squid Game” season 2 is made: creator has no other choice
The creator Hwang Dong-hyuk made this Twitter post in the interview a joy to all fans who eagerly wish for a second season. He confirmed in November that there really should be one. Since he was the only one standing in the way, the second season was as good as officially confirmed.
In the clip above, Hwang Dong-hyuk explains in the presence of Gi-hun (Player 456) actor Lee Jung-Jae that with all the love and appreciation for the series, the audience leaves them no choice but to make a sequel. He already has something in mind for the new season and is planning the process. However, he also says that, at the moment, it is too early to tell precisely when and how it will all happen. There seems to be a lot more discussed in the meantime, and the future of the “Squid Game” universe on Netflix is inevitable and is being thoughtfully expanded.