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‘Squid Game’ Director and Star Reveal ‘Heavier, Darker’ Season 2 Will Be ‘A Game-Within-A-Game’
Sep
Squid Game fans, brace yourselves — season 2 is on the way, and it’s promising to be even darker and more intense than before. Director Hwang Dong-hyuk and star Lee Jung-jae, who portrays Seong Gi-hun (Player 456), recently teased what viewers can expect when Netflix’s hit survival drama returns on December 26.
One major change? Gi-hun’s striking red hair, which he debuted at the end of season 1, will be gone. But as Lee humorously admits, he had to shoot some early scenes of season 2 with the infamous hair color. “It felt very strange, to say the least,” Lee laughs.
However, Gi-hun’s hair isn’t the only thing that’s different. The character himself is fundamentally changed after the traumatic events of season 1, in which he survived deadly children’s games, learned of his mother’s death, and discovered his daughter had moved to the U.S. “In season 2, you will not be getting the foolish and clumsy Gi-hun that you saw in the beginning,” says Hwang. “You will get to see a much heavier, darker side of him.”
Lee adds that Gi-hun has been grappling with intense survivor’s guilt after being the only one out of 456 players to win the horrifying game. Over the three-year time jump, Gi-hun has been consumed by a singular mission: to stop the deadly games from happening again. “He spent that time trying to track down those who are behind the game,” Lee explains.
But despite his efforts to shut the games down from the outside, Gi-hun quickly realizes he needs to re-enter the game to destroy it from within. “Gi-hun is back again in his green tracksuit,” Lee confirms. This time, however, Gi-hun is playing for a different reason — he’s not interested in winning, but in taking down the people responsible for the deadly games. “It could almost be described as a game-within-a-game for Gi-hun.”
Even though Gi-hun has been through the games once before, he won’t have an advantage in season 2. “Most of the games will be new,” Lee reveals. Hwang hints that the new challenges will be inspired by universally recognized children’s games, making them simple yet terrifying. “They’re going to be both very easy to understand and play, and very fun,” Hwang says, although he’s careful not to give away too much about the new games.
Season 2 will also see the return of some familiar faces. Lee Byung-hun reprises his role as Front Man, and Detective Hwang Jun-ho (Wi Ha-jun) is back after the season 1 cliffhanger, where it was revealed that the masked leader is actually Jun-ho’s missing brother. Gong Yoo also returns as the mysterious Salesman. “You’re going to see some characters who were just fleeting in season 1 play a much more important role in season 2,” Hwang teases.
However, the new season will primarily focus on a fresh batch of characters, with many new faces joining the cast. The director promises that these characters will be more three-dimensional and complex, with some becoming Gi-hun’s allies and others his enemies. “The dynamics and relationships between the characters will be a lot more intense,” Hwang says.
Season 1 of Squid Game was a sharp critique of capitalist society, and Hwang is excited to revisit that theme from an even broader perspective in season 2. “I’ll ask questions about whether we really have the ability to solve those problems and if that’s what humanity is at the end of the day,” he says. The games may be simple, but the philosophical questions they raise are anything but.
“I can assure you it’s going to keep all of you at the edge of your seats,” Lee promises.
Let the games begin.
Squid Game season 2 premieres Thursday, Dec. 26 on Netflix.
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