Though it has been buzzed about for a while and was declared by creator Hwang Dong-hyuk, Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos has officially announced that a second season of Squid Game is on its way. The exec made the announcement during an interview concerning the streaming service’s 2021 fourth-quarter performance.
When asked about the future of Squid Game, Sarandos said:
“Absolutely. The ‘Squid Game’ universe has just begun.”
Squid Game debuted September 17, 2021, and became a word-of-mouth hit that went on to become Netflix’s top-rated series, with subscribers streaming 1.65 billion hours of the show in the first 28 days. As part of this interview, Sarandos name-dropped Netflix’s second-most popular series, Bridgerton which is set to drop its second season in March, and Stranger Things which drops its fourth season this summer.
Last fall, Hwang stated:
“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! 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 confirmed that Lee Jung-jae would return as the lead character Seong Gi-hun.
Squid Game is comparable to The Hunger Games. In Season 1, 456 cash-strapped competitors agree to compete in a series of deadly kids’ games to win a share of the ₩45.6 billion prize pool (about $38.5 million).
Co-star O Yeong-su recently won a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor. The show garnered two other nominations including Best Drama Series. In addition, Squid Game became the first non-English-language series to be nominated for the Screen Actors Guild Awards for Best Drama Series, Actor in a Drama Series for Lee Jung-jae, Actress in a Drama Series for Jung Ho-yeon, and stunt ensemble. The program has also been recognized by the Critics Choice Awards and Gotham Awards.
The cast also included Park Hae-soo, Wi Ha-joon, Heo Sung-tae, Anupam Tripathi, and Kim Joo-ryoung, most of whom won’t be back for Season 2.
Are you excited that Squid Game is confirmed to be coming back for a sophomore season?
If you haven’t already seen it, Season 1 is available to stream in its entirety on Netflix.
