Cast, Filming, and Everything We Know So Far

Ready to see the scariest game of Red Light Green Light ever made yet again? Hopefully so, because the monster hit series Squid Game is finally returning with a second season. The Netflix series heralded from South Korea became a viral sensation, becoming one of the most-watched series ever to grace the massively popular streaming platform. Audiences everywhere were enthralled by writer/director Hwang Dong-hyuk‘s Battle Royale, showing average people competing in monotonous children’s games. The last one standing out of the several hundred contestants will receive a cash prize that could change their lives forever. Every loser pays the ultimate price and is killed by the pink-suited masked soldiers overseeing the games.

Season 1 of Squid Game becoming a viral sensation is honestly a pretty significant understatement. Before its release in 2021, when audiences were still looking for new entertainment due to the ongoing pandemic, Squid Game had virtually no marketing nor pre-release hype. Instead, Squid Game got the best publicity not even money can buy, generating word-of-mouth press that spread like wildfire. Before you could say “무궁화 꽃이 피었습니다” (“the Hibiscus flower has bloomed,” which is what the creepy robot says during the Red Light Green Light game), there was already a bounty of memes, YouTube videos, and even a reality series, which is just as ironic as it sounds. Couple Squid Game‘s success with the historic Oscar-winning Parasite and South Korea is in the middle of a global storytelling renaissance.

Squid Game‘s success makes the announcement of a second season hardly surprising, and thankfully after a long wait, Netflix finally shared more info on the mysterious sophomore season the TUDUM fan event. To learn more about the upcoming season’s cast, trailer, streaming status, and more, here is everything we know so far about Squid Game Season 2.

Editor’s Note: This article was updated on January 25.

When Is Squid Game Season 2 Coming Out?

Squid Game Season 2 will air in 2024. While we don’t have an exact date, fans can still take joy in knowing that the series will return later this year. Stay tuned as we await an official release date announcement from Netflix.

Where Can You Watch Squid Game Season 2?

Given that Squid Game Season 1 is one of Netflix’s most-watched shows ever, it should hardly come as a surprise that Season 2 will be exclusively available on the streaming platform. Netflix has faced a few unexpected delays due to the ongoing Writer’s Strike, with the final seasons of both Stranger Things and Cobra Kai being placed on indefinite hold until the strike is resolved. Thankfully the service does have some completed projects right around the corner, such as the third season of The Witcher and the live-action anime adaptation One Piece.

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Is There a Trailer for Squid Game Season 2?

While no traditional trailer has been released for Squid Game Season 2 as of yet, Netflix did share a cast announcement trailer at the TUDUM fan event. The announcement video is light on plot details but does reveal that the upcoming season will feature several returning favorites and many completely new faces.

Who Stars in Squid Game Season 2?

While the majority of central characters from Season 1 died, there are still more than a few returning characters and cast members. The first is the main character of the first season, Seong Gi-hun, played once again by Lee Jung-jae. While Lee Jung-jae has always been a prominent name in South Korea, the actor’s popularity has skyrocketed following his role in Squid Game. Lee Jung-jae is even set to join the Star Wars galaxy with the upcoming Disney+ series, The Acolyte.

Also set to return as Front Man, the overseer of the homicidal games, is Lee Byung-hun, who is best known for his starring roles in A Bittersweet Life and I Saw the Devil. Front Man’s on-screen brother and police detective Hwang Jun-ho, played by Wi Ha-Joon, is also set to return, seemingly confirming what many fans suspected that the detective survived his encounter with Front Man. The last returning cast member we know of is Train to Buson star Gong Yoo, who will again play the mysterious salesman who finds unsuspecting contestants for the deadly games.

The new cast members of this season include big names from South Korea’s television industry, including Yim Si-wan (Misaeng), Kang Ha-neul (Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo), Park Sung-hoon (The Glory), and Yang Dong-geun (The Forbidden Marriage). On June 29, Netflix announced a second round of cast members, including Park Gyu-young (Sweet Home), Kang Ae-sim (Move to Heaven), Lee David (The Fortress), Lee Jin-uk (Miss Granny), Roh Jae-won (Missing Yoon), and Won Ji-an (D.P.), as well as Choi Seung-hyun, former member of BIGBANG, and Former Iz*One member Jo Yu-ri.

What Is the Squid Game Story So Far?

The central character of Squid Game Season 1 is Seong Gi-hun, a down-on-his-luck father who is strapped for cash and suffering from a crippling gambling addiction. His luck seemingly turns when a strange salesman offers to play a game with Seong Gi-hun in exchange for cash. The salesman then gives Seong Gi-hun a card to sign up for more cash-making opportunities. Before he knows it, Seong Gi-hun is blindfolded, dressed in a green jumpsuit with a number, and placed in a room with 455 other people. Our hero forms a bond with a terminally ill, yet uncharacteristically happy old man named Oh Il-nam (Oh Yeong-su), and Seong Gi-hun even sees a few people he recognizes like his childhood friend Cho Sang-woo (Park Hae-soo) and local thief Kang Sae-byeok (Hoyeon).

After being escorted onto a field by masked armed guards dressed in pink jumpsuits, just about every contestant is shocked to see they’re trapped in a deadly game of Red Light Green Light where every loser is shot on sight. This act of violence leads to the contestants understandably wanting to leave, until they learn that the winner of these deadly games will get a cash prize of 45.6 billion Won, about 38 million U.S. dollars. Since every contestant was chosen due to their poor financial situation, they reluctantly agree to continue. As more and more people die, the last two people standing are Seong Gi-hun and Cho Sang-woo. Seong Gi-hun reluctantly kills his best friend but, overwhelmed with guilt and trauma, gives most of the money he earned to others. Seong Gi-hun also learns that the old man he befriended, Oh Il-nam, was the mastermind behind the games the whole time. Though Oh Il-nam may be dead now, Seong Gi-hun vows to end the games and punish those responsible.

Meanwhile, a South Korean detective named Hwang Jun-ho infiltrates the island where the games take place. Not only is Hwang Jun-ho hoping to expose whatever human rights violations are taking place here, but he also is trying to learn the mysterious fate of his missing brother, which is linked to these mythical games. Hwang Jun-ho is stunned to discover that the masked overseer of these games, Front Man, is in fact his missing brother. As soon as Hwang Jun-ho learns this, he’s shot by his brother and falls down, his fate being uncertain.

Who Is Making Squid Game Season 2?

Squid Game Season 2 will once again be written and directed by the show’s creator, Hwang Dong-hyuk, who has consistently teased that Season 2 will be bigger and better than what came before.

When Will Squid Game Season 2 Begin Filming?

According to Lee Jung-jae, filming for Squid Game Season 2 will begin sometime in the Summer of 2023, likely in July. Hwang Dong-hyuk also said that filming for Season 1 took 10 months, and Season 2 will likely take quite a bit longer. The wait could be agonizingly long, but hopefully well worth it.