Netflix has revealed the new and returning Squid Game season two cast members.
The survival thriller makes its long-awaited return, seeing the comeback of four original characters from the first series.
During the Tudum global fan event in São Paulo, Brazil, the names of four characters participating in the show were also announced.
After setting up his return at the end of the first series, protagonist Lee Jung-jae will reprise his role of Gi-hun – determined to make the people responsible for the competition pay for their ‘atrocities’.
Joining him are Front Man (Lee Byung-hun), the leader of the masked staff behind the game, and Hwang Jun-ho (Wi Ha-jun), a detective who sneaks into the game looking for his brother. .
Exciting: Netflix has revealed the new and returning cast members for season two of Squid Game
The teaser also confirms that Gong Yoo, who appeared in season one, will return as the mystery man in the suit who initially invited Gi-hun to play the game.
Squid Game creator Hwang Dong-hyuk will be too return to direct and executive produce the series’ second season, due to begin production later this year.
New players joining the game include Yim Si-wan (Unlocked), Kang Ha-Neul (Midnight Runners), Park Sung-hoon (The Glory), and Yang Dong-geun (Yaksha: Ruthless Operations).
Netflix revealed that season two of Squid Game was on its way in announcements posted to social media last year.
News of the hit program was revealed in a post that featured a close-up of the glowing eye of the chilling puppet Young-hee, with a “2” across the lens.
The creator of the show, Hwang Dong-hyuk, previously confirmed during an interview with Vanity purse which appeared last month.
Netflix shared a video on its Twitter account of the doll girl’s eye flashing, after which the number two appeared.
The streaming giant also added a humorous message to the post’s caption, which read in part, “Red light… GREEN LIGHT!”
Back again! The survival thriller makes its long-awaited return, seeing the comeback of four original characters from the first series
Comeback: After setting up his return at the end of the first series, main character Lee Jung-jae will reprise his role of Gi-hun – determined to make the people responsible for the competition pay for their ‘atrocities’
Expected: Frontman (Lee Byung-hun), the leader of the masked staff behind the game, also returns
Back again: The teaser also confirms that Gong Yoo, who appeared in season one, will return as the mystery man in the suit who initially invited Gi-hun to play the game
They also shared a personal message from Dong-Hyuk, 51, who began his post by writing, “A whole new round is coming.”
He continued, “It took 12 whole years last year to bring the first season of Squid Game to life. But it took Squid Game 12 days to become the most popular Netflix series ever.
“As the writer, director and producer of Squid Game, a huge shout out to our fans around the world. Thank you for watching and enjoying our show.’
Dong-Hyuk then shared a few bits of information about the program’s upcoming second season.
He wrote, “And now Gi-hun returns. The frontman returns. Season 2 is coming. The man in the suit with ddakji may be back.’
Dong-Hyuk added that the killer doll Cheol-su, Young-hee’s boyfriend, would be introduced.
He concluded the post by inviting fans of the show to “join us one more time for a whole new round.”
Dong-hyuk spoke about the second season of the program during his interview with Vanity Fair where he confirmed that the games would continue in the future.
“Humanity will be tested again by those games,” he said.
The writer then spoke about the thematic aspects of the second season, noting that they would be somewhat similar to those of the first batch of episodes.
He stated: ‘I want to ask the question: ‘Is real solidarity between people possible?’
Dong-hyuk further noted that many of his characters would have survived if their motivations had been different.
Back: Squid Game creator Hwang Dong-hyuk also returns as director and executive producer of the series’ second season as production begins later this year
Global Phenomenon: Squid Game revolves around hundreds of cash-strapped players who accept a strange invitation to participate in children’s games. Inside, a tempting prize awaits with deadly high stakes. A survival game with a whopping 45.6 billion won prizes at stake
Breaking records: Squid Game also became Netflix’s most-watched original program after its debut
“If they were able to talk to each other, to work with each other, I agree there was a possibility that we could have seen more winners,” he said.
The director previously announced that he wanted to release the second season of Squid Game at the end of 2024.
Squid Game revolves around a competition where nearly 456 individuals, all of them deeply in debt, take part in a series of deadly versions of children’s games as they compete for a large cash prize.
The show received widespread critical acclaim upon release, with much praise for the writing and the cast’s performances.
The show’s first season ended with a pretty natural build-up to a second season, with Gi-hun looking to find out who’s running this sadistic game, rather than seeing his daughter in Los Angeles.
Squid Game set a new record as Netflix’s most-watched show in history, with over 1.65 billion hours watched by subscribers in its first 28 days of release.
The show also made history by becoming the first non-English language TV series to be nominated for the Screen Actors Guild Awards, with a total of four nominations.
The nominations included Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor for Lee, Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor for Jung Ho-yeon, Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble, and Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble.
In February, Squid Game made history again when it won in three of the four nominated categories at the SAG Awards with acting wins for both Lee and Jung and the show took home the trophy for Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble.
The series had also earned three Golden Globe nominations, including veteran South Korean actor Oh Yeong-su who won Best Supporting Actor in a Series for his portrayal of Oh Il-nam/Player 001.