Can Player 456 outsmart the system? Photos: Handout
When actor Lee Jung-jae was filming the first season of Squid Game more than three years ago, he didn’t think there will be a follow-up.
He recalled to Malaysian media in an online interview that writer-director Hwang Dong-hyuk had told him there’s just that one season.
“But the global love and support we received were overwhelming, and it became clear we had to make Season Two.
“In a way, we were almost ‘forced’ into it,” said Lee, who turned 52 on Dec 15.
A month after its release in 2021, the dystopian South Korean drama – centring around people in dire financial straits competing in deadly children’s games for cash prize – became Netflix’s most popular series.
It topped the streaming service charts in more than 80 countries, drawing 111 million fans globally.
Squid Game was also celebrated at major 2022 award ceremonies in the United States, receiving multiple nominations and historic wins at the Screen Actors Guild, Critics’ Choice and Primetime Emmy Awards.
A few months after these international wins, the second season was greenlit.
Despite the success, Lee – who won an Emmy for Best Actor In A Drama Series – admitted that he was a little worried about doing the second season.
“Would the script measure up? How long would it take? Director Hwang spent 10 years working on the script for S1, so I wasn’t sure what to expect,” elaborated Lee of his concern.
“Surprisingly, he finished the script for S2 so quickly that we could jump straight into production. That’s when I realised just how brilliant he is.
“Although fans might feel the three-year wait was long, for us, it was a tight timeline to perfect the show.”
Lee Byung-hun, Director Hwang Dong-hyuk, and Lee Jung-jae attend a screening for Squid Game: Season 2 at Metrograph theatre in Manhattan, New York, U.S., December 16, 2024. Photo: Reuters
Lee said the entire team came together with one goal – to create a second season that truly gives back to the audience.
“We worked hard to make S2 an amazing work that will provide a rewarding experience for the fans,” added Lee, who is reprising his role as Gi-hun, or Player 456.
Set to premiere on Dec 26, the second season has a total of seven episodes.
A third and final season is scheduled to be released next year, though the number of episodes is unknown.
It’s reported that the storyline for Seasons Two and Three was initially conceived as a single continuous narrative, but it was later divided into two parts.
Hwang, who is once again helming the series as writer-director, said writing the new seasons were “easier in some ways” as he had the Squid Game universe established but “harder in others” as he had to figure out how to expand Gi-hun’s narrative and take it a step further.
In a separate Zoom interview in October, Hwang told the Malaysian media he did feel a lot of pressure while making the second season.
“To be honest, it was a challenge,” said the 53-year-old filmmaker, who became the first Asian to win the Outstanding Directing For A Drama Series Emmy.
“Now, with less than two months until the release, that pressure is still there – I won’t deny feeling nervous. But I can confidently say that I’ve poured everything I have into making S2 just as remarkable, if not better, than the first.”
The new season picks up three years after the end of S1 when a red-haired Gi-hun, the sole winner of the game, makes a last-minute decision to turn back from boarding a plane to the US after receiving a phone call from the game master known as the Front Man (Lee Byung-hun).
He determinedly tells the mastermind, “I’m not a horse. I’m a person. That’s why I want to know who you people are and how you can commit such atrocities against people.”
S2 delves into Gi-hun following through on that promise – pursuing those responsible for the brutal games and facing the challenges of trying to shut them down.
Using the fortune he won from the game, Gi-hun starts by tracking down the man in the sharp suit (Gong Yoo), playing ddakji (a game played with folded paper tiles) in the subway.
Actor Gong Yoo reprises his role as the man in a suit going after desperate people.
Unknown to him, police officer Jun-ho (Wi Ha-jun) – who survived after being shot by the Front Man, also his older brother – is searching for the mysterious island where the game is held as well.
Wi told the Malaysian media that he was thrilled to reprise the role of Jun-ho and reconnect with the global fans who love Squid Game.
“This season offers a deeper exploration of Jun-ho’s journey, especially after the shocking revelations about his brother,” Wi, 33, said.
“These events have left him in despair, transforming him into a more hardened and emotionally guarded character,” added Wi, who delivered a standout performance as a villain in last year’s The Worst Of Evil.
But the person who has undergone a complete transformation is Gi-hun.
According to Lee, his personality shifts dramatically as “he gains this new, singular drive”.
If in the previous season, there were glimpses of Gi-hun’s optimistic nature who sees good in people, this time around he’s a man with a renewed purpose or as Lee said, “a character shaped by his traumatic experiences”.
“After everything he endured in the game, he’s left in a state of shock, constantly grappling with the question, ‘How can people commit such terrible acts against others?’
“This thought consumes him, fuelling his determination to put an end to the game,” added Lee, who made his directorial debut in 2022 with the film Hunt.
Unfortunately for Gi-hun, his pursuit brings him right back to the dormitory once again, where he’s wearing the green tracksuit and is very much part of a new game.
While he may know the rules and the consequences of the game, he definitely doesn’t know any of the other players or what other games the Front Man has concocted this time around.
Yim Si-wan plays Lee Myung-gi or Player 333.
Director Hwang confirmed there will be brand new games featured in S2 – “each more unpredictable and deadly than the last”.
“These games will test how players form alliances, betray each other, and ultimately navigate the fine line between comedy and tragedy.
“It’s a roller coaster of emotions that you definitely won’t want to miss,” Hwang said.
He added that he thought long and hard about what games he should include in the new season.
One requirement he had was that the games had to be really simple so that the penalty for the loser can be immediate and self-explanatory for the global audiences.
Actor Lee attested that his friends and family members would ask him about the games in S2.
“I told them, I can’t tell you anything about the games,” shared Lee.
“But what I can tell you is that we’re going to play childhood games – those games we used to play growing up.
“The real excitement and tension come from these games, and I think that’s what people are most eager to see,” the actor elaborated.
A 12m-tall statue of Young-hee, the iconic doll from Netflix's South Korean TV series 'Squid Game', is seen on a barge in front of Wat Arun temple on the Chao Prayer River ahead of the launch of Season 2, in Bangkok on Dec 19, 2024. Photo: AFP
As seen in the trailer, some of the rules surrounding the game have been tweaked too.
For starters, in S1, players had a chance to vote after the first round on whether to continue or leave the game.
In S2, however, the game masters take this concept to a new, more sinister level: voting is no longer optional – it’s mandatory.
After each round, the remaining players are forced to make a choice between two opposing sides.
“We see this kind of division not only in Korea but across the world – growing conflicts fuelled by differences in religion, ideology, background, gender or race,” said Hwang in the series’ production notes.
He added that he wanted to symbolically explore this by showing how the players divide themselves into Team O and Team X, and how it leads to confrontation.
“Expressing hatred has become so commonplace – not just online, but in real life – where we constantly label others as opponents or enemies.
“By labelling the players with an O or X, it was my way of recreating a microcosm of our society.
“It’s been three years since I created S1, and in that time, I feel society hasn’t strayed from this divisive path of ‘I’m right, and you’re wrong’.
“It’s the kind of story that I thought people would relate to and resonate with,” he reasoned.
Kang Ae-sim as Jang Geum-ja and Yang Dong-geun as Park Yong-sik.
It’s not all doom and gloom though.
Hwang mentioned to Korean media that while S1 explored the social and economic inequality, S2 looks at whether individuals have the power to change the world.
“Today, the climate crisis is worsening and issues like poverty and inequality remain pressing issues.
“With Seasons Two and Three, I wanted to explore the question if we have the power to reverse this downward trend... Are we capable of making a change?”
In the end, he hopes that, like in S1, the series would not only be loved for its entertainment value but also spark meaningful conversations and debates.
Squid Game S2 premieres on Dec 26 on Netflix.
