Netflix's confirmation that Squid Game Season 2 will happen has led many to wonder when it will premiere on the streaming service.
The anticipation is high after a successful debut season for Squid Game on September 17, 2021, with the series now being the most-watched Netflix show of all time. This is on top of all the high praise from fans and critics since its arrival.
Ahead of Season 2, there have been many updates about the follow-up to Squid Game's highly-talked-about first season.
When Will Squid Game Season 2 Release?
On June 12, 2022, Netflix released a short teaser to officially announce that Squid Game Season 2 is happening.
Alongside the announcement, Squid Game executive producer, director, and writer Hwang Dong-hyuk shared a heartfelt statement about the Season 2 renewal:
"Thank you for watching and loving our show.
And now, Gi-hun returns.
The Front Man returns.
Season 2 is coming.
The man in the suit with ddakji might be back.
You’ll also be introduced to Young-hee’s boyfriend, Cheol-su.Join us once more for a whole new round."
It remains to be seen when Squid Game Season 2 will premiere on Netflix.
However, in May 2021, Squid Game creator Hwang Dong-hyuk told Vanity Fair that he anticipates that the second season could premiere on Netflix "by the end of 2023 or 2024."
Hwang also revealed that he only has about "three pages worth of ideas" that he plans to turn into a script for Season 2 before teasing that there will be more games in the upcoming batch of episodes:
“Humanity is going to be put to a test through those games once again.”
The Squid Game creator also confirmed that Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae's lead character) is "definitely" coming back while the mysterious Front Man from the first round of games is also expected to return.
In February 2023, Seong Gi-hun actor Lee Jung-jae confirmed to allkpop that filming for Season will begin in the summer, noting that it will "likely" last for 10 months:
"'Squid Game 2' will begin filming in the summer and the filming will likely last for about 10 months. We were working on Season 1 for about 10 months as well, but that was with delays caused by COVID-19."
As the actor pointed out, the 10 months timeframe is the same as Season 1 but it included delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Squid Game lead star then teased that Season 2 will be "bigger in scale," hinting that filming might end up being longer than Season 1:
"But seeing as Season 2 will be bigger in scale, it will probably take longer to complete."
Another factor that needs to be considered is the ongoing writers' strike of the Writers' Guild of America (WGA). It is unclear if or how Season 2 will be impacted by the events since Squid Game creator Hwang Dong-hyuk is a South Korean filmmaker and it is unknown if he's even part of the WGA.
If filming for Season 2 is impacted by the writers' strike, then the expected Summer 2023 filming start date could be delayed, thus pushing the predicted release date to late 2024 or early 2025.
What Is the Story of Squid Game Season 2?
Squid Game Season 1 finished in an open-ended way, teasing many storytelling opportunities for Season 2. To recap, the season ended with Gi-hun turning back and not getting on the plane to the United States, indicating that he might return to the games.
Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter in October 2021, Squid Game creator Hwang Dong-hyuk acknowledged Season 1's ending, but he noted that it served as a "good closure" for the whole story:
"It’s true that season one ended in an open-ended way, but I actually thought that this could be good closure for the whole story, too. Season one ends with Gi-hun turning back and not getting on the plane to the States. And that was, in fact, my way of communicating the message that you should not be dragged along by the competitive flow of society, but that you should start thinking about who has created the whole system — and whether there is some potential for you to turn back and face it."
The creator also teased that he wanted to explore the Front Man's storyline with his brother in Season 2:
"But there are some other stories in the series that have not been addressed. For example, the story of the police officer and the story of his brother, the Front Man. So if I end up creating season two, I’d like to explore that storyline — what is going on between those two brothers?"
Hwang also mentioned that he would like to focus on the story of the game's recruiter and Gi-hun's arc:
"And then 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. And, of course, we could go with Gi-hun’s story as he turns back, and explore more about how he’s going to navigate through his reckoning with the people who are designing the games. So, I don’t know yet, but I’ll just say there are a lot of possibilities out there for season two storylines."
Looking ahead, Hwang spoke with Korean broadcaster KBS, via Korea Times, to confirm that he's already in talks with Netflix about developing Squid Game Season 3:
"I'm in talks with Netflix over Season 2 as well as Season 3. We will come to a conclusion any time soon."
In Netflix's TUDUM event in June 2023, the streaming service, via IGN, officially announced that Season 1 stars Lee Jung-jae, Lee Byung-Hun, Wi Ha-jun, and Gong Yoo will all return in Season 2.
The original cast will join newcomers Yim Si-Wan, Kang Na-Heul, Park Sung-Hoon, and Yang Dong-Geun.
As it stands, the future of the Squid Game franchise is brighter than ever.
Squid Game Season 1 is streaming on Netflix.
