The highly anticipated follow-up to the megahit Netflix original series “Squid Game” (2021) will be released later this year, Netflix announced Friday.

Netflix also released never-before-seen scenes from the second season of “Squid Game” but did not specify the date of the premiere.


“Squid Game” season two will tell the story of Gi-hun, played by actor Lee Jung-jae, the winner of 45.6 billion won ($342 million) from a secret survival contest in the first season, returning to the games after giving up his plan to immigrate to the United States.

The first season revolved around a secret survival contest consisting of 456 players in dire financial need, who play a string of deadly children’s games for a chance to win the prize.

Netflix has yet to reveal more about the second season's plot, but key characters from the first season such as the Front Man, played by Lee Byung-hun, and an unnamed salesman played by Gong Yoo who recruits contestants for the games, will return alongside new castmates.

Actors Yim Si-wan, Kang Ha-neul, Park Sung-hoon, Lee Jin-uk, Park Gyu-young and more are set to star in the second season.

Director Hwang Dong-hyuk, who received the Best Director Award at the 74th Primetime Emmy Awards for his work on “Squid Game,” also worked on the production, plot and direction of the sequel.

Released on Sep. 17, 2021, the first season of “Squid Game” became Netflix’s most-watched show and the most-watched program in 94 countries, recording 1.65 billion viewing hours in the first month of its release. It won a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor for O Yeong-su, Screen Actors Guild Awards for Lee Jung-jae and Hoyeon and a total of 14 Emmy nominations.

A reality competition series based on “Squid Game,” titled “Squid Game: The Challenge,” was released in November last year, with the single largest cash prize for any reality television show ever, $4.56 million.

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BY LIM JEONG-WON [lim.jeongwon@joongang.co.kr]