To nobody’s surprise, Netflix mega-hit Squid Game has been officially renewed for a second season – and series creator Hwang Dong-hyuk has shared new details about what fans can expect from the show’s highly-anticipated return.
Both Netflix executives and Hwang himself had already given the ‘green light’ to Squid Game season 2 earlier in the year, but this announcement marks the first official confirmation that new episodes of the record-breaking dystopian drama are on the way.
The streamer revealed the news via social media, posting a thread of tweets that included an ominous teaser and a revealing message from Hwang himself. Check them out below:
Hwang Dong-Hyuk writer, director, producer, and creator of @squidgame has a message for the fans: pic.twitter.com/DxF0AS5tMMJune 12, 2022
In the statement, Hwang confirmed that characters Seong Gi-hun and the Front Man will be returning in Squid Game season 2, adding that “the man in the suit with ddakji might be back”, too.
However, while the writer-director had teased the involvement of all three in various interviews prior to the show’s renewal, Hwang’s message also contained mention of a brand new character: Cheol-su.
“You’ll also be introduced to Young-hee’s boyfriend, Cheol-su,” Hwang wrote, in reference to the series’ now-iconic murderous robot doll. Young-hee featured in Squid Game’s first episode – Red Light, Green Light – as a motion-sensing animatron that ordered the deaths of any contestants caught moving while under its watchful gaze. Young-hee was responsible for 255 fatalities in the show, making Red Light, Green Light the deadliest game of any featured across Squid Game’s nine episodes.
Cheol-su, it seems, is a male companion of Young-hee – and one we expect to be equally terrifying. Perhaps he’ll even sing his own version of the latter’s eerie “Red Light, Green Light, 1-2-3” jingle…
"Everyone’s favorite killer doll Young-hee is officially off the market and viewers will be introduced to her boyfriend Cheol-su," read a press release echoing Squid Game's renewal on Netflix's official fan site, Tudum. "Maybe we’ll get a romantic duet from the couple right before they give you that deadly look."
Let the games begin (again)
In any case, it’s clear that Squid Game season 2 will feature more of the show’s perilous puzzles – a fact confirmed by creator Hwang in a recent interview with Vanity Fair. “Humanity is going to be put to a test through those games once again,” Hwang said of the series' return in May. “I want to ask the question, ‘Is true solidarity between humans possible?'”
As for what story new episodes of the Netflix series will tell, the most likely plot thread to explore is Gi-hun’s quest for revenge against the games’ mysterious organizers. Hwang’s latest statement adds fuel to that fire, with the relationship between the Front Man, In-ho, and his brother, Jun-hon, also now confirmed to feature in proceedings.
Regardless, it looks like we’ll be waiting a few years to find out Gi-hun’s fate. Vanity Fair reports that Hwang “only has about three pages’ worth of ideas that he plans to turn into a script” for season 2 right now, adding that new episodes aren’t likely to arrive on Netflix until the end of 2023 at the earliest.
The slow progress comes as a result of the writer's ongoing involvement in other projects – Hwang is currently working on a new movie, Killing Old People Club, which he says is sure to be “another controversial film.”
To ease the wait for Squid Game season 2, then, check out our breakdown of the Squid Game ending, which poses big questions about what to expect from the show’s highly-anticipated second season.
