Who would’ve thought that a Korean thriller series would capture the imagination and TV screens of binge watches across the globe? When Squid Game debuted on our Netflix screens back in 2021, no one could’ve predicted just how enthralling and entertaining the show would turn out to be. It was brutal both in terms of the killings on screen and its social commentary, and we, the people, lapped it all up and how!
Now, the show is back for another round of wild, wild things and as per the cast, in Squid Game Season 2, things only get worse, in a great way.
What to expect from Squid Game Season 2?
In the show’s trailer, Seong Gi-hun aka player no 456, played by Lee Jung-jae, is prompted to smile into the camera, but he scowls instead, with a face filled with rage. It’s exactly opposite to the earlier season, when Three years ago, in the earlier season, when he had happily smiled , excited for whatever lay ahead.
He may have survived (and won the cash prize), but the game is far from over for Gi-hun. Squid Game Season 2 will see trying to end the game even before it begins, as he takes on the sharp-suited Recruiter, played by Gong Yoo, who challenges oblivious commuters to a game of ddakji (a South Korean game where players use folded paper tiles to flip each other’s tiles).
The cast of Squid Game Season 2 on the show’s new season
“The way you saw Gi-hun in Season 1 and see him now, is very different”, says Lee Jung-jae, while admitting he had ambivalent feelings about playing the part once again. “I remember on the first day, when I put on Gi-hun’s make-up and attire, I had mixed feelings, as to how to portray this man once again. I had never felt this way before; it was something new as well as strange, like the character and his new arc. Gi-hun is determined that those who started this horrific game should be punished – he does not have a clear strategy but has a clear sense of purpose. That mindset serves as his biggest motivation this season.”
Detective Hwang Jun-ho, played by Wi Ha-joon, who was shot by the Front Man (Lee Byung-hun) has somehow survived the attack. But what’s causing him trauma isn’t the incident but the identity of the mysterious masked singer (his brother In-ho) instead. Though the current season will dig deep into the relationship between the two brothers, Wi Ha-joon says it has been a lonely road for his character. “He is still committed to exposing the truth but has no evidence. His journey is fraught with challenges, but he remains unshaken. My emphasis on understanding his personality was to channelise on the aspects of fear and rage since he is feeling both those emotions in equal measure.”
Finally unmasked, Lee Byung-hun’s In-ho aka the Front Man will also have a larger role in Squid Game 2. “It has been challenging to portray the many complex and intertwined emotions that make this character who he is”.
Joining the show is Korean singer and actor, Im Si-wan. He plays Myung Gi, a former cryptocurrency influencer who is living as a fugitive after losing a hefty sum of money, until he joins the game. “I was riveted by how the show evokes childhood nostalgia and juxtaposes it with life and death situations,” says the actor.
The roster of stars you’ll also find in Squid Game 2 include Kang Ha-neul, Jo Yu-ri, Yang Dong-geun, Lee Seo-hwan as well as Park Gyu-young.
Director Hwang Dong-hyuk on the premise of Squid Game Season 2
As per the director, though the second season was easier to write, the same can’t be said for the show’s premise. “The world is crazy now, and the premise is crazy because it is based on the world we live in.” He further adds that the concept of choice is of prime focus this time, revealing players will wear X and O badges on their tracksuits to announce their decisions on divisive matters. “We see this kind of division all over the world. The growing conflict and hatred due to religion, ideology, background, gender and race. I wanted to symbolically portray in this season how players divide themselves between Team X and Team O, and how it leads them to stand against the other”.
Let the games begin, shall we?
Squid Game Season 2 premieres on December 26 on Netflix.