Squid Game season 2: Release date speculation, cast, plot and latest news

Netflix knows we can't wait for more of those deadly trials, and the reality take on the original series, Squid Game: The Challenge, is available to stream now.

The reality TV show turns the deadly trials of the original into a competition, where 456 players compete for a multi-million dollar cash prize and, with plenty of twists and turns, it’s just as gripping as its predecessor.

Nothing beats the real thing, though, so if you can't wait to carry on its story, read on for everything we know about the Squid Game season 2 release date, including who could return after all of those Squid Game deaths in season 1.

**Spoiler warning for Squid Game season 1**

Squid Game season 2 release date speculation: When is it coming out on Netflix?

Filming for Squid Game season 2 only kicked off this summer (filming for season 1 lasted approximately 10 months), so don't expect any new episodes until late 2024 at least, especially given that season 2 will be "bigger in scale", according to Lee Jung-jae (via Ilgan Sports).

When speaking to RadioTimes.com in October 2021, writer and director Hwang said that the second season of Squid Game presented challenges.

"I do realise there are huge expectations for season 2," he said. "I keep asking myself whether I can make it better than season 1. I do not want people to get disappointed over the new season."

He went on to explain that he may even try to incorporate some of the many fan theories into the plot.

"I will try to look up those ideas, and, of course, if there are any good ones, I can bring them into the story," he said. "Since I prefer writing alone, maybe all these ideas on YouTube can function as my writer's room.

"Or maybe I can even ask the fans on social media to give ideas. In the meantime, I will try and think more while I work on films."

The show was officially renewed for season 2 back in June 2022.

"It took 12 years to bring the first season of Squid Game to life last year, but it took 12 days for Squid Game to become the most popular series ever," said director and writer Hwang Dong-hyuk (via Deadline) at the time.

The following letter from Dong-hyuk was shared online alongside the renewal announcement, confirming that the game's winner, Seong Gi-hun, will return.

Squid Game season 2 cast: Who's returning?

Expect lots of new faces in season 2, given that the majority of the Squid Game characters were killed in season 1 – although Hwang did say that he could be tempted to bring back some stars from the first run, even if their characters were killed off, or seemingly killed off.

But Lee Jung-jae is definitely returning as the winner of the first run Seung Gi-hun, with creator Hwang Dong-hyuk confirming the news.

"I've received so much love and support from [viewers], of course I have to play him again," he told Entertainment Weekly. "But at this point I don't know anything about how the story is going to turn out, or how the characters are going to change, or if there is going to be any new characters adding to the series."

We also know that Wi Ha-joon will return as Hwang Jun-ho, the police officer who snuck into the games and was shot in season 1 by the Front Man (who turned out to be his missing brother).

"I'm dying to know what happened to him," he told Deadline. "I want him to return alive, find his brother and ask him tons of questions. I hope to see a more brother-love side of their relationship as well."

Gong Yoo, the anonymous recruiter who lures people into the game, is also back.

And Netflix also revealed the following new cast members, but without any details about who they're playing: Yim Si-wan (Unlocked), Kang Ha-neul (The Pirates: The Last Royal Treasure), Park Gyu-young (Sweet Home, Celebrity), Park Sung-hoon (The Glory), Jo Yu-ri, Yang Dong-geun (Yaksha: Ruthless Operations), Kang Ae-sim (Be Melodramatic, Move to Heaven), Lee David (The Fortress), Lee Jin-uk (Sweet Home), Choi Seung-hyun (Tazza: The Hidden), Roh Jae-won (Missing Yoon) and Won Ji-an (DP).

Squid Game season 2 plot theories: What could happen?

While Seung Gi-hun triumphed during the first games, the horror isn't over yet.

He discovers the challenges are still continuing with a different team, so there's plenty of scope for Gi-hun to become the ultimate hero and stop them all.

One thing's for certain: this edition of the game wasn't the first and doesn't seem to be the last, so the series could really go in any direction, in a similar vein to the Saw franchise.

Creator Hwang Dong-hyuk told The Times that he would like a second season to look at the Korean police after focusing mainly on the contestants in the first season.

"While I was writing season 1, I thought about the stories that could be in season 2 if I get to do one — one would be the story of the Frontman. I think the issue with police officers is not just an issue in Korea.

"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. This was an issue that I wanted to raise. Maybe in season 2 I can talk about this more."

While we did get a glimpse into what life for the Game employees was like when police officer Hwang Jun-ho snuck into the facility, we don't know a lot about how the workers were recruited and why they chose to work there. We find out that Jun-ho's brother is the Front Man, having taken on a senior role at the Game after winning as a contestant in 2015, but we don't know why he decided to join forces with the competition that made him kill several people.

A second season could explore the employees' stories more, with Hwang telling RadioTimes.com in an exclusive interview that he may look into the theory around the colour of the Ddakji cards a contestant chooses, with some thinking that choosing the blue card makes you a contestant while choosing the red card makes you an employee.

"What an intriguing theory!" he said. "I might use it if we'll ever have a season 2!"

Hwang also said that he would be open to exploring the back story of Old Man Oh Il-nam, a contestant who is revealed to be a wealthy investor behind the games.

"It seems, however, the way how he yearns for the happy moments of his past shows that he has lost many things including his family and his humanity at the cost of success. If there will be a season two, we might reveal a little more about his past story," he said.

While we find out that Il-nam was one of the wealthy VIPs who helped set up the Game for rich people who became disillusioned with the thrills of normal life, we don't know a huge amount the life he had with his wife and son, who he mentions during the marbles game. There's one particular Squid Game fan theory which thinks Il-nam could turn out to be Gi-hun's father as the two seemed to develop a familial relationship throughout the games while Il-name told Gi-hun on his death bed that it had been "fun to play with him". Perhaps diving into Il-nam's backstory could confirm this potential plot thread?

Hwang added that he may turn to the fans for ideas for a second season, saying: "Since I prefer writing alone, maybe all these ideas on YouTube can function as my writer's room. Or maybe I can even ask the fans on social media to give ideas. In the meantime, I will try and think more while I work on films."

Hwang seems to have changed his mind on writing by himself since then, recently telling Variety that if he does make a second season, he "would certainly not to it alone".

"I’d consider using a writers’ room and would want multiple experienced directors," he added.

While the season 1 finale seemed to set up season 2, with Gi-hun decided not to board the plane to America and appearing to set out on a mission to seek revenge on the game organisers, Hwang has said that the last episode could work as a complete ending to the series and Gi-hun's story.

"It’s true that season 1 ended in an open-ended way, but I actually thought that this could be good closure for the whole story, too," he told The Hollywood Reporter.

"Season 1 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.

"So it’s not necessarily Gi-hun turning back to get revenge. It could actually be interpreted as him making a very on-the-spot eye contact with what is truly going on in the bigger picture. So I thought that might be a good, simple-but-ambiguous way to end the story for Gi-hun."

However, he added that if he did write a second season, he would want to explore the storyline between the Front Man and his police officer brother, as well as the recruiter for the games.

"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."

Read more about Squid Game:

• Squid Game ending, explained
• Squid Game true story
• Who is Squid Game's Old Man?
• What to watch after Squid Game

Is there a Squid Game season 2 trailer?

Unfortunately, there isn't a trailer for Squid Game season 2 yet. We'll update this page as soon as there is one.

Squid Game season 2 is coming to Netflix in the future. Sign up for Netflix from £6.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream. Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on.

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