Spoilers under for season 1 of Squid Recreation.
Netflix’s huge Ok-drama hit Squid Recreation is, at face worth, a spin on the Japanese basic Battle Royale. A bunch of strangers are positioned in an enclosure, the place they’re pressured to kill each other in the event that they hope to assert the carrot dangling earlier than them: cash, and many it. However not like in Battle Royale and The Starvation Video games, the place the fighters are youngsters pressured into the sector in opposition to their will, Squid Recreation posits an intriguing morality shift: These individuals are adults, they usually volunteered.
To be clear, they volunteered for a sport. Every of them down on their luck and pining for a life-changing payday—the prize is a $38.5 million verify—every contestant is invited to a “survival competitors” made up of seemingly innocuous youngsters’s video games. Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) is one such unlucky soul, inspired to repay his many money owed via a “high-stakes” competitors. Determined, he accepts, solely to awaken in an eerily nondescript constructing, surrounded by a whole lot of equally confused contestants. They’re rounded as much as play a spherical of Purple Mild, Inexperienced Mild. They dash. Those that do not screech to a halt in time are instantly gunned down.
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If this sounds rather less cheery than your common Netflix binge, your instincts are right. However Squid Recreation, which has been in improvement for greater than a decade, is the form of thriller that works as a result of it makes use of its mind-twisting ethics—in spite of everything, what would you do in a combat to the loss of life?—to stir dialog. Ever since its launch on September 17, 2021 the Ok-drama has shot to the highest of the Netflix charts and turn out to be the streamer’s most-viewed collection in historical past. We may spend hours dissecting why precisely this present has captured the world’s consideration, nevertheless it finally boils all the way down to Squid Recreation‘s outstanding use of its haunted characters. So, naturally, followers are keen to look at them return. As viewers devour the primary 9 episodes, this is what we learn about a future for Netflix’s newest and biggest success story.
Will Squid Recreation get a season 2?
The primary season closes with one thing of a decision, relying on the way you select to interpret it. Gi-hun has received the Recreation and is now processing the trauma of what he is completed, solely to find that the outdated man he befriended in the course of the course of the competitors was, actually, its creator. Alas, betrayal on the grandest scale.
After this man dies, Gi-hun learns the Recreation remains to be ongoing—he witnesses a candidate get recruited—and vows to cease it as soon as and for all. We may select to interpret this because the writers tying a brilliant bow on the finale, or it is potential they meant to gasoline hypothesis for a second chapter. Regardless, the present’s creator, Hwang Dong-hyuk, quickly addressed the potential for a season 2 after the present turned such a break-out performer.
“I virtually really feel such as you depart us no selection,” he informed the Related Press about whether or not a second season is due, after obsessed followers throughout the globe have been clamoring for extra. “There’s been a lot strain, a lot demand and a lot love for a second season.”
“It’s in my head proper now,” Hwang added to AP. “I’m within the planning course of at present. However I do assume it’s too early to say when and the way that’s going to occur. So I’ll promise you this, Gi-hun will likely be again and he’ll do one thing for the world.”
Hwang had beforehand shared that he was so exhausted after making the primary season, he wasn’t initially considering of extending the story. (Ok-dramas do not often go on for a number of seasons.) “I believe I do have the duty to clarify it to the followers and I’m occupied with season 2, however on the time, I used to be so drained after ending season 1, I couldn’t actually consider season 2,” he informed IndieWire. “However now that it’s turn out to be such an enormous hit, folks would hate me if I don’t make a season 2, so I really feel a whole lot of strain and assume I’d must.”
If he have been to maneuver ahead with one other season, nevertheless, he says he’d eschew his typical solo strategy and herald assist. “If I have been to do it, I will surely not do it alone,” Hwang informed Selection. “I’d think about using a writers’ room and would need a number of skilled administrators.”
Certain sufficient, in January 2022, Netflix co-CEO and chief content material officer Ted Sarandos confirmed throughout an earnings name that Squid Recreation season 2 was on its means: “The Squid Recreation universe has begun,” he stated, as reported by Selection.
After which in June 2022, Netflix shared a message from Hwang Dong-Hyuk through which he warned, “A second spherical is coming.”
“It took 12 years to convey the primary season of ‘Squid Recreation’ to life final 12 months. However it took 12 days for ‘Squid Recreation’ to turn out to be the preferred Netflix collection ever. As the author, director, and producer of ‘Squid Recreation,’ an enormous shout out to followers world wide. Thanks for watching and loving our present.”
He then gave some direct solutions about who followers can anticipate to see once more, writing, “And now, Gi-hun returns. The Entrance Man returns. Season 2 is coming. The person within the go well with with ddakji is perhaps again. You may even be launched to Younger-hee’s boyfriend, Cheol-su.”
Whereas we proceed ready for an precise launch date, we do know that Hwang is in the midst of writing season 2 now. “I’ve a deadline to complete writing season two of Squid Recreation by the top of this 12 months or early subsequent 12 months,” he informed The Hollywood Reporter in August 2022. That might imply it could possibly be no less than one other 12 months earlier than Squid Recreation returns to Netflix.
Who will likely be within the forged?
Now that we all know Netflix is cashing in on a sure-to-be-successful season 2, it is seemingly Lee Jung-jae would return as Gi-hun. However as a result of so many different characters died—thus is the character of a battle royale, in spite of everything—we might virtually definitely get a brand new supporting forged, maybe joined by just a few cameos (in flashbacks or in any other case) from our outdated buddies Park Hae-soo, Oh Yeong-su, and the beloved HoYeon Jung.
Certain sufficient, Netflix confirmed that Lee Jung-jae (Gi-hun), Lee Byung-Hun (The Entrance Man), Wi Ha-jun (Hwang Jun-ho), and Gong Yoo (The Salesman) will return.
The streamer additionally introduced new forged members for season 2: Yim Si-Wan, Kang Ha-Neul, Park Sung-Hoon, Yang Dong-Geun will star as new gamers.
Within the last spherical of casting bulletins, Netflix unveiled its last set of stars, starting from Netflix alums to newcomers to trade veterans. They’re: Park Gyu-young (Candy Residence), Jo Yu-ri (former member of the band Iz*One), Kang Ae-sim (Be Melodramatic), Lee David (The Fortress), Lee Jin-uk (Candy Residence), Choi Seung-hyun (Tazza: The Hidden Card and Dedication), Roh Jae-won (Lacking Yoon), Gained Ji-an (D.P.). Additional particulars on their particular person roles stay unknown.
Netflix additionally shared a take a look at the forged in the course of the desk learn:
When will season 2 be launched?
It is nonetheless too early to inform, however the picture proof of the desk learn implies that the subsequent chapter is certainly on the best way. Netflix additionally introduced on June 28 that manufacturing on season 2 is “beginning later this 12 months.”
What would a second season be about?
Season 2’s plot would seemingly deal with Gi-hun’s quest to finish the Recreation, very like Katniss Everdeen’s saga centered round her revolutionary efforts to cease the Starvation Video games and restore fairness to the districts. What stays unclear is that if this noble pursuit would land Gi-hun himself again within the enviornment, or if Squid Recreation would pull a Westworld and draw its characters out of the simulation and into the bigger dystopian actuality. All we all know from Hwang for positive is that Gi-hun will return—we simply do not understand how.
For his half, Hwang has loads of concepts. “It’s true that season one resulted in an open-ended means, however I really thought that this could possibly be good closure for the entire story, too,” he informed The Hollywood Reporter in October 2021. “…However there are another tales within the collection that haven’t been addressed. For instance, the story of the police officer and the story of his brother, The Entrance Man. So if I find yourself creating season two, I’d wish to discover that storyline—what’s going on between these two brothers? I may additionally go into the story of that recruiter within the go well with who performs the sport of ddakji with Gi-hun and offers him the cardboard within the first episode. And, in fact, we may go together with Gi-hun’s story as he turns again, and discover extra about how he’s going to navigate via his reckoning with the people who find themselves designing the video games. So, I don’t know but, however I’ll simply say there are a whole lot of prospects on the market for season two storylines.”
He later added that, regardless of the big strain from followers begging for a second chapter, he is selecting to see the adoration as a supply of inspiration. “Due to all that strain, I haven’t determined but whether or not or not I ought to do one other season,” he stated. “However in the event you take a look at it in a optimistic means, as a result of so many individuals beloved season one and predict good issues for season two, there are folks all over the place on the planet providing their opinions about the place the present ought to go. I may really pull concepts from followers all world wide to create the subsequent season.”
Nevertheless, Hwang does not wish to solely let followers’ expectations dictate the present. “I don’t wish to make season two as a response to these reactions,” he informed THR in August. “The philosophies I put in season one all naturally prolong to season two. As a substitute of attempting to satisfy the expectations of viewers, I simply thought in regards to the final second when Gi-hun turned away from boarding the airplane, and I thought of what he’ll do subsequent. There’ll naturally be a stream of occasions that may lead all the best way to the top of the season. I can’t share any particulars but, however that Seong Gi-hun has turn out to be a very new particular person by the top of season one, so season two goes to be about what that new Gi-hun goes to do and the way issues will unfold with this new form of character.”
What number of seasons will there be in complete?
In a latest interview with the Korea Occasions, Hwang revealed he was envisioning a good longer story arc for Squid Recreation. “I’m in talks with Netflix over season 2 in addition to season 3,” he stated. “We’ll come to a conclusion any time quickly.”
This publish will likely be up to date.
Tradition Author
Lauren Puckett-Pope is a workers tradition author at ELLE, the place she primarily covers movie, tv and books. She was beforehand an affiliate editor at ELLE.
Erica Gonzales is the Senior Tradition Editor at ELLE.com, the place she oversees protection on TV, films, music, books, and extra. She was beforehand an editor at HarpersBAZAAR.com. There’s a 75 p.c probability she’s listening to Lorde proper now.