Squid Game star Lee Jung-jae has reportedly shared when we can expect season two of the hit Korean drama.
- READ MORE: Squid Game’ review: child’s play turns deadly in a cutting critique of late-stage capitalism
The series, which aired on Netflix in 2021 was hugely popular, becoming the platform’s most-watched series within its first 28 days of being uploaded. It has gained more than 265million views since its release, and received 14 Emmy nominations, with Lee winning the award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series.
The highly-anticipated second season began production in July last year, with a teaser trailer having been released by Netflix in February.
Now, Lee has given an update on when we can expect the series, as he told Business Insider via an interpreter that it “will be released in December”. However, Netflix have reportedly not confirmed this, nor have they shared an official release date.
In June last year, however, Netflix did unveil the full cast for season two, which includes former IZ*ONE member Jo Yu-ri, Sweet Home actors Park Gyu-young and Lee Jin-wook, Kang Ae-sim of Move to Heaven and Heartbeat‘s Won Ji-an, as well as former Big Bang member T.O.P.
Introducing the very first look at SQUID GAME SEASON 2. Coming this year. pic.twitter.com/fzRzdtHRDY
— Netflix (@netflix) February 1, 2024
The first season, created by Hwang Dong-hyuk starred Lee has Seong Gi-hun, a contestant in a competition in which 456 players complete a series of children’s games all hoping to win the prize of 45.6billion won (£28.6milllion). However, those who fail to complete the various tasks are eliminated and instantly killed.
The end of the first season saw Seong Gi-hun win the entire competition, battling his last two opponents in a brutal final round.
In a four-star review of the first season, NME praised the political and social undertones of the show, writing: “By juxtaposing the innocence of these childish games with the insidious belief that ceaseless, cutthroat competition is the only way modern adults can survive, Squid Game presents a potent microcosm of capitalist society.”
The review continued: “The contestants we follow range from the strong and frail, to the ruthless and compassionate, and everything in between – setting up fascinating dynamics where viewers are never really sure who to root for through any given round.”
While it has been almost three years since the first season of Squid Game, Netflix did release a British reality competition series based on the drama last year.
Squid Game: The Challenge also featured 456 players competing for $4.56million, as they competed in similar tasks to the original series, however without the threat of death upon elimination.
Also receiving a four-star review from NME, Squid Game: The Challenge was praised for its detailed recreation of elements of the original series: “When they’re not punching shapes out of crispy wafers or playing giant games of Red Light, Green Light (Korean Grandmother’s Footsteps), the contestants eat, sleep and hang out in that oh-so-recognisable warehouse filled with many-levelled bunk beds.
“A lot of effort has been put into making the space look exactly like the one Seong Gi-hun recruits his gang in – and this is where the reality aspect comes to the fore.”
Meanwhile, last year Hwang, who is also directing the second season, teased that the upcoming series “will feature new games and characters, as well as a deeper plot and message.”