If you've been online in the last few months, you've probably seen TV fans mention Netflix's Squid Game. (opens in new tab) The hit K-drama (opens in new tab) has swept the globe since its premiere on September 17, 2021, reaching #1 in 90 countries (opens in new tab) in 10 days. in 90 countries (opens in new tab) in 10 days, making it the streamer's all-time It became the largest non-English language show. The series became the largest show in Netflix history, surpassing the old record holder "Bridgeman" (open in new tab) in less than a month after its release, and is considered worth $900 million (open in new tab) to Netflix. It has also made history in terms of acting awards, with cast members Lee Jung-jae and Jung Ho-young becoming the first non-English-language series winners at the 2022 SAG Awards.

This engrossing series depicts a battle royale-style deadly game in which 456 people with huge debts gamble their lives for a $38 million payout. While millions of viewers are drawn in by its ridiculous setting, the cleverly written characters and the dilemma of not knowing what to do have fans trading theories and checking out similar shows (opens in new tab).

Season 2 has been confirmed. Creator Hwang Dong-hyuk confirmed that he is planning a second season of the hit show when he attended a preview and Q&A last night in Los Angeles. (Open in new tab)

"The pressure, the demands, and the love for a second season is huge. So I feel like you are leaving us no choice. But I will tell you that there really is a second season. It's in my mind right now. It's in the planning process right now," he said.

This weekend, nine months after the Season 1 premiere, Netflix finally made an official announcement. In a statement to fans printed on the game's cardboard, fans were told that Giffen and the frontman would be returning, while also teasing a new character.

"It took us 12 years to bring the first season of 'Squid Game' to the world last year. But it took 12 days for 'Squid Game' to become the most popular series in Netflix history," the statement read. As the writer, director and producer of "Squid Game," I want to give a huge shout out to our fans around the world. Thank you for watching and loving our show."

"And now Giffen is coming back. The frontman is coming back. Season 2 is coming. Dakji and the man in the suit may be back. Yeonhee's boyfriend, Cheolsu, will also make an appearance. Once again, join us for a new round."

Yeonhee is the name of the iconic doll "Red Light, Green Light (open in new tab)" from Season 1, based on the character of the same name from a Korean textbook. Since the character named Cheol-su appears along with Yeon-hee, it appears that a new giant killer robot will appear in the next season.

Regarding the timing of the first broadcast, Hwang told Vanity Fair (opens in new tab) that he thinks the new season could be released in late 2023 or early 2024. He said then that he had three pages worth of ideas and definitely more games. He told the outlet that "humanity will be tested through these games again."

Squid Game Season 1 spanned the entire game, with Song Ki-hoon (open in new tab) (Lee Jung-jae) winning 456 billion won. a year later, Ki-hoon runs into a salesman (Gong Yoo) recruiting another player and the game is about to begin again A year later, Gi-Hoon encounters a salesman (Gong Yoo) recruiting another player and learns that the game is about to start again. Just before leaving for the U.S., Gi-Hoon decides to stay in Korea.

In the final scene, Hwang hopes that Gi-Hoon's story will continue and that the winner will join forces with other players to shut down the secretive, multi-national game of death. Nothing has been decided yet other than Gihoon's return. After being turned away by the police in Episode 2, Gihoon may try to get the police on his side, or he may find a past player who may or may not have overcome his trauma enough to take on a wealthy VIP or game master.

There is also no guarantee that the next game will follow in Korea. Season 1 revealed that deadly games are being played all over the world, with wealthy people from multiple countries betting on the outcome. The first game is presumed to have started in Korea because of the involvement of Oh Il-nam (Oh Young-soo), but a game in another country may be the subject of a future season.

Perhaps the biggest hint that Netflix is pushing for a second season of this show is that Netflix did not submit it for a limited series Emmy, as it did with "Made," but submitted it as a drama series.

In an interview with Variety (opens in new tab), writer/director Hwang Dong-hyuk revealed that writing the first season alone was difficult. Hwang Dong-hyuk has primarily produced films in his decades-long career, and "Squid Game" is his first drama.

"In the past, I used to drink half a bottle of soju to get my creative juices flowing. I can't do that anymore. Writing [The Squid Game] was harder than usual because it's a series and not a movie. It took me six months to write and rewrite the first two episodes. Then I consulted my friends verbally and got hints for improvement from my own pitches and their reactions."

Hwang continued that he does not intend to jump straight into a second season. Instead, he told the magazine that he may return to film before tackling season two; Variety reported that he is currently writing a film called "The KO Club," which is premised on an intergenerational war.

"I don't have a well-developed plan for 'Squid Game 2.' Just thinking about it is quite exhausting. But if I were to do it, I would never do it alone. I would consider using the writers' room, and I would use multiple experienced directors."

Fortunately, the show's historic popularity has allowed Hwang to drop new hints about where the show's storyline might be headed: in an interview with The Times (opens in new tab), he said that the new season is the only other to have escaped from the game alive He suggested that it may follow one of the characters, the frontman (Lee Byung-hin).

"While I was writing Season 1, I thought about the storyline I could portray in Season 2 if I had to write Season 2. [I don't think the problem of police officers is just a Korean problem. If you look at the global news, you see that police officers are very slow to respond, and sometimes this causes more victims or makes things worse. This is the issue I wanted to raise. Maybe in Season 2 I can talk more about this."

Hwang also told The Hollywood Reporter (opens in new tab) that there has been a lot of fan demand for Season 2, but that also means he has a lot of inspiration.

"There is a lot of pressure on me now that there are so many viewers waiting for season 2. I'm still trying to decide if I should do another season because of that pressure. He continued, "Instead of just seeing it as a huge pressure, I should think of all this love and support I'm receiving as a big box of inspiration that I can tap into for Season 2."

Speaking to The Guardian in late October, Hwang admitted that he and Netflix are in talks for a second season (open in new tab). Of course there are talks. Of course there are talks. I am considering it. I have a very high-level concept in my head, but I'm not going to start working on it right away. I have a film I really want to make. I'm trying to figure out which one to do first; I'm going to talk to Netflix about it."

Lee Jung-jae, who plays Song Ki-hoon, seems to be up for a second season. He told The New York Times (open in new tab) that there are many possibilities for where his character could go next. He said, "Because the story could go in any direction, and some of Giffen's emotions are very complex. He's a very fascinating character. He could try to punish the creators of the game. Or he might try to stop new contestants from playing the game. Or he might try to get back into the game. I have no idea at this point."

When asked about a popular fan theory that Giffen might be given a chance to run the game as a replacement for the front man, Lee replied, "I don't know. If the story were to go in that direction, Gihoon would be in the same position as Oh Il-nam [played by Oh Young-soo]. But in "The Deer Hunter," the character played by Christopher Walken (open in new tab) is never out of the game.

The cast also has their own ideas about how the fallen players will return in Season 2; in an interview with Variety (opens in new tab) at the SAG Awards, Lee revealed that the Season 1 cast all brainstormed together near the end of shooting The cast members had a brainstorming session at the end of filming.

"After we shot 'Squid Game' Season 1, we brainstormed ideas to bring everyone back to life," Lee said. My idea was to have the masked men carry everyone out as quickly as possible and operate on them to keep them alive."