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Netflix Officially Greenlights ‘Squid Game’ Season 2

Netflix announces ‘Squid Game’ Season 2.

It hasn’t exactly been a secret that Netflix gave the thumbs up to a second season of ‘Squid Game’ some time ago, and it has really been the desire and busy schedule of creator/writer/director/executive producer Hwang Dong-Hyuk that will determine exactly when it arrives.

Still, looking to make sure that lethal animatronic dolls and deadly games of marbles are still in our minds, the streaming service rounded out Geeked Week with a new message about the second season – specifically, that it is now officially greenlit (red light… sorry, force of habit after watching the show).

‘Squid Game’ followed a group of fictional South Korean players, the cash-strapped and down on their luck, who were offered a chance to win a huge monetary prize… If they can survive a lethal set of games based on children’s favorites. As 456 players are whittled down to one, it’s all filmed for the viewing pleasure of some wealthy masked men. Our hero in the show is Seong Gi-Hun (Lee Jung-jae), a lowly man faced with a need for cash to help his splintered family.

Since it debuted on Netflix last year, ‘Squid Game’ has become a huge pop cultural sensation and took the title of the streamer’s biggest TV show ever, logging 1.65 billion hours of viewing in the first four weeks of its release. It has also broken through in awards categories, the cast winning Screen Actors Guild Awards and the company firing up expensive pop up attractions to lobby for Emmy votes.

Red light… GREENLIGHT!

Squid Game is officially coming back for Season 2! pic.twitter.com/4usO2Zld39

— Netflix (@netflix) June 12, 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 Netflix series ever,” reads the statement from Hwang. “As the writer, director and producer of ‘Squid Game,’ a huge shout out to fans around the world. Thank you for watching and loving our show.”

He continues by teasing what we can expect from the new season: “Gi-hun returns. The Front Man (one of the masked terrors who orchestrates and the games), The man in the suit with the Ddakji might be back”. Ddakji, in case you don’t remember from the game, is a traditional South Korean game played using folded paper tiles.

Oh, and according to Hwang, we’ll meet Cheol-su, the boyfriend of Young-hee. If you’ve ever wondered what the “boyfriend” of a giant killer doll looks like… we’re going to get our chance.

In addition to the new season, Hwang is also working on a satire of the series’ success, currently titled ‘The Best Show on the Planet’ and an adaptation of an Umberto Eco novel. Yet both of those are likely on the backburner as his focus is on the next round of mayhem in the ‘Squid Game’ world.

There is no indication when the show will actually return, but current thinking points to either later 2023 or early 2024.

Netflix announces ‘Squid Game’ Season 2.

June 13, 2022
‘Squid Game’ Creator Hwang Dong-hyuk Creating Satire of the Show

Squid Game’ Creator Hwang Dong-hyuk at Netflix Live Panel. Photo courtesy of Netflix YouTube Channel.

Given that he created what was probably the biggest TV hit of last year in Netflix’s ‘Squid Game’, you might think that filmmaker’s Hwang Dong-hyuk time would now entirely be spent coming up with terrible ways to treat players in Season 2 of the show.

Yet the prolific auteur has found time to figure out not just the next season of the show, but a satire about his time making it. Oh, and if those weren’t enough, he’s also developing a new movie.

The satire, which is currently titled ‘The Best Show on the Planet’ is at a very early stage, Hwang tells Deadline, and there are few details to share. But it’ll be born from his personal feelings and experiences about the runaway success of ‘Squid Game’ itself. “I feel like I’ve been swept by the Niagara Falls over the course of the last six months and fallen off a cliff,” he says. “To have compliments from Steven Spielberg was completely beyond my imagination. I still can’t work out whether this is real or I’m daydreaming.”

That said, there is always a downside to huge success: now you have to follow it. “Season 1’s success has given me an immense amount of pressure and I am having nightmares about the reception for Season 2 not being so good,” he admits.

Lee Jung-jae in ‘Squid Game’ on Netflix

Part of what made ‘Squid Game’ so compelling was its mixture of desperate fictional players, the cash-strapped and down on their luck, who were offered a chance to win a huge monetary prize… If they can survive a lethal set of games based on children’s favorites. As 456 players are whittled down to one, it’s all filmed for the viewing pleasure of some wealthy masked men. Our hero in the show is Seong Gi-Hun (Lee Jung-jae), a lowly man faced with a need for cash to help his splintered family.

“The games are very simple, they are kids’ games, so regardless of how old you are you can understand the rules in 20 seconds,” says Hwang. “Whether it be Red Light, Green Light or Tug of War, everyone has experience of one of these games, so I wanted to build on the memories of so many people around the world.” Players are killed off in unsympathetic, brutal fashion and there are plenty of twists and turns to keep you glued.

Hwang’s current plan is to have Season 2 ready for fall 2024, which will no doubt please Netflix.

And finally, there is the movie he’s been quietly developing at the same time – it’s inspired by a novel from Italian essayist Umberto Eco, with the working title ‘Killing Old Man’s Club’, and, according to the man adapting the story, is even more violent than ‘Squid Game’. Which, if we’re honest, is almost hard to imagine. But we’re glad he has a hobby.

‘Squid Game’ on Netflix

May 20, 2022
‘The Power of the Dog’ Wins Big at the Critics Choice Awards

(L-R) Roger Frappier, Jane Campion, Kirsten Dunst, and Jesse Plemons accept the Best Picture award for ‘The Power of the Dog’ onstage during the 27th Annual Critics Choice Awards at Fairmont Century Plaza on March 13, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Amy Sussman/Getty Images for Critics Choice Association.

Following other major award ceremonies in getting back to an in-person event this year, the 27th Annual Critics Choice Awards were held in Los Angeles on Sunday night. And the big winner among the movie community was Jane Campion’s ‘The Power of the Dog’.

Despite a slightly awkward clash with the BAFTAs (pandemic-forced scheduling shifts resulted in an awards schedule that was even more crowded than normal), necessitating a live link-up with a satellite room, the event managed to corral a good selection of stars and filmmakers, plus a diverse selection of TV creators and performers.

‘The Power of The Dog’ took home the most awards on the night, pocketing Best Picture, Best Director for Campion (who gave an entertaining speech in which she compared her competing against male filmmakers to Venus and Serena Williams – who were in the room, supporting ‘King Richard’), Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Cinematography.

Will Smith won Best Actor for ‘King Richard’, firmly showing that he and ‘Power of the Dog’s Benedict Cumberbatch are effectively neck and neck in the Oscar race this year, while Jessica Chastain got best actress for ‘The Eyes of Tammy Faye’.

Will Smith accepts the Best Actor award for ‘King Richard’ onstage during the 27th Annual Critics Choice Awards at Fairmont Century Plaza on March 13, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Amy Sussman/Getty Images for Critics Choice Association.

‘CODA’s Troy Kotsur continued his sweep of Best Supporting Actor categories and gave a heartfelt sign language speech via video from London. Ditto Ariana DeBose for ‘West Side Story’, the two actors now seemingly on track to lift the corresponding awards come Oscar night.

‘Dune’ and ‘West Side Story’ largely scored in the technical categories, while trophies including ‘Best Young Actor’ gave the likes of ‘Belfast’s winning Jude Hill another chance to shine. Speech of the night, though, went to Lifetime Achievement Award winner Billy Crystal, who was naturally hilarious and touching all at once.

One slight shame of the evening, mostly for timing reasons, was several relatively big categories (Screenplay for example) announced via card before and after commercial breaks.

On the TV side, ‘Ted Lasso’ and ‘Succession’ continued their domination of the comedy and drama races, while ‘Squid Game’ saw more love. And some repeat winners took the stage, including ‘Hacks’ Jean Smart.

Jean Smart accepts the Best Actress in a Comedy Series award for ‘Hacks’ onstage during the 27th Annual Critics Choice Awards at Fairmont Century Plaza on March 13, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Amy Sussman/Getty Images for Critics Choice Association.

You can find the full winners list below.

FILM CATEGORIES

BEST PICTURE
The Power of the Dog

BEST ACTOR
Will Smith – King Richard

BEST ACTRESS
Jessica Chastain – The Eyes of Tammy Faye

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Troy Kotsur – CODA

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Ariana DeBose – West Side Story

BEST YOUNG ACTOR
Jude Hill – Belfast

BEST ACTING ENSEMBLE
Belfast

BEST DIRECTOR
Jane Campion – The Power of the Dog

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Kenneth Branagh – Belfast

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Jane Campion – The Power of the Dog

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Ari Wegner – The Power of the Dog

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
Patrice Vermette, Zsuzsanna Sipos – Dune

BEST EDITING
Sarah Broshar and Michael Kahn – West Side Story

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Jenny Beavan – Cruella

BEST HAIR AND MAKEUP
The Eyes of Tammy Faye

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Dune

BEST COMEDY
Licorice Pizza

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
The Mitchells vs. the Machines

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Drive My Car

BEST SONG
No Time to Die – No Time to Die

BEST SCORE
Hans Zimmer – Dune

TV CATEGORIES

BEST DRAMA SERIES
Succession

BEST ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
Lee Jung-jae – Squid Game

BEST ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
Melanie Lynskey – Yellowjackets

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
Kieran Culkin – Succession

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
Sarah Snook – Succession

BEST COMEDY SERIES
Ted Lasso

BEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
Jason Sudeikis – Ted Lasso

BEST ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
Jean Smart – Hacks

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
Brett Goldstein – Ted Lasso

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
Hannah Waddingham – Ted Lasso

BEST LIMITED SERIES
Mare of Easttown

BEST MOVIE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Oslo

BEST ACTOR IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Michael Keaton – Dopesick

BEST ACTRESS IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Kate Winslet – Mare of Easttown

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Murray Bartlett – The White Lotus

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Jennifer Coolidge – The White Lotus

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE SERIES
Squid Game

BEST ANIMATED SERIES
What If…?

BEST TALK SHOW
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver

BEST COMEDY SPECIAL
Bo Burnham: Inside

Andrew Garfield attends the 27th Annual Critics Choice Awards at Fairmont Century Plaza on March 13, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Amy Sussman/Getty Images for Critics Choice Association.

March 14, 2022
‘Squid Game’ Renewed for Season 2

‘Squid Game’ on Netflix

For a series that took its creator nearly a decade to get made in the first place, ‘Squid Game’ has become quite the phenomenon. And Netflix wants to capitalize on its success, officially confirming that season 2 is in the works.

“The ‘Squid Game’ universe has just begun,” the company’s co-CEO and Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos told shareholders, indicating that the cryptic story of lethal children’s games and the desperate people who play them will return.

‘Squid Game’, for anyone who might not be aware, is a Korean thriller series created by movie writer/director Hwang Dong-hyuk, who seeded the show with both emotionally resonant drama and violence, and topical social critique.

In Season 1, 456 cash-poor contestants are invited by a mysterious organization to compete in a series of children’s games – with deadly consequences – to win a piece of the ₩45.6 billion prize pool (around $38.5 million). We won’t spoil how it all works out, especially since it’s best enjoyed without knowing any of the secrets.

It has quickly become Netflix’s most-watched show, with the company estimating that subscribers worldwide streamed 1.65 billion hours of the show in the first 28 days of its release. It inspired many Halloween costumes based on the contestants’ numbered green tracksuits and the orange jumpsuit/face mask combination sported by guards on the show.

Lee Jung-jae in ‘Squid Game’ on Netflix

From the sounds of it, Netflix is viewing ‘Squid Game’ the same way it does big successes such as ‘Bridgerton’ and ‘Stranger Things’ – properties it can spin-off into all sorts of other formats. Live events, books, merchandise, mobile games, and more are headed our way.

Though he’d indicated that he was looking to return to making movies once the show was completed, it appears creator Hwang realizes what an opportunity he has, and how much demand there is for more of the series. “There’s been so much pressure, so much demand and so much love for a second season. So, I almost feel like you leave us no choice!” he told the Associated Press this past fall. “But I will say there will indeed be a second season. It’s in my head right now. I’m in the planning process currently.”

Hwang has yet to reveal any specific details about what that second season might look like, but we do know that star Lee Jung-jae will return as “Squid Game’s” main character, Seong Gi-hun. The actor recently received a nomination from the 2022 Screen Actors Guild for best actor in a drama series, with co-star Jung Ho-yeon up for best actress in a drama series.

The actors and their co-stars also made history as the first non-English-language series and Korean series to earn a nomination for cast in a drama, along with stunt ensemble.

No date has been set for the series to return – Hwang still needs to finish writing and shooting it – but Netflix will surely be hoping it could be ready for either the end of this year or early next, to keep us all obsessing over it.

‘Squid Game’ on Netflix

January 26, 2022