Season 1 of Squid Game became a phenomenon when it was released, propelling lead actor Lee Jung Jae and its cast to worldwide stardom, becoming Netflix’s most-watched series of all time, and amassing numerous accolades. Naturally, since Netflix gave the green light on a second season, fans have been buzzing about which characters will be returning for a second season and now, the complete cast has finally been confirmed.
Red light… GREENLIGHT!
— Netflix (@netflix) June 12, 2022
Squid Game is officially coming back for Season 2! pic.twitter.com/4usO2Zld39
Naturally, the creator and director of Squid Game, Hwang Dong-hyuk who based the series on his own economic struggles and the class disparity found in South Korea will be returning to direct and write the script. However, he will not be directing and writing every single episode as he previously said that it was a strain on him.
Who is part of the additional cast for Season 2?
Squid Game rounds out the cast for Season 2:
— Netflix (@netflix) June 29, 2023
Please welcome Park Gyu-young, Jo Yu-ri, Kang Ae-sim, Lee David, Lee Jin-uk, Choi Seung-hyun, Roh Jae-won, and Won Ji-an to the game! pic.twitter.com/wV7WErYKpM
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Park Gyu-young: Well known for her role in the Netflix series Sweet Home Seasons 1 and 2, she will also be starring in the upcoming Netflix series Celebrity. She also starred in It’s Okay to Not Be Okay alongside Kim Soo-Hyun.
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Jo Yu-ri: A former member of the South Korean-Japanese girl group Iz*One, her addition is a surprising one since her previous acting experience comprises only several web series.
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Kang Ae-sim: A highly respected theatre and musical actress in Korea. You may recognise the older actress from the dramas Be Melodramatic and Netflix’s series Move to Heaven which left a deep impression on the audience.
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Lee David: This won’t be his first time acting alongside Lee Jung-jae as they first met through the film, Svaha: The Sixth Finger. Fresh out of the military in April, he is best known for his supporting roles in dramas such as Itaewon Class
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Lee Jin-uk: The 41-year-old actor also starred in Netflix’s series Sweet Home Seasons 1 and 2. He previously dated Choi Ji Woo and Gong Hyo Jin way back when.
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Choi Seung-hyun (T.O.P): Best known as the former member of K-pop mega group Big Bang, this will be his first acting project since Out of Control back in 2017. His surprising addition to the list has already been highly controversial amongst Korean netizens. As he has faced scandals in the past, some of them have declared that they will not be watching the show because of him as reported by Allkpop. As Lee Jung-jae is also known to be longtime friends with T.O.P, it was speculated that he was involved in the casting. This was later vehemently denied by Lee’s label, saying that it was decided through auditions.
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Roh Jae-won: Making his acting debut in 2021, he’s a relative newbie to the scene.
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Won Ji-an: She also first debuted in 2021 in the first season of the Netflix series D.P. starring Jung Hae-in.
Who are the other newcomers?
Fellow newcomers to the cast who were announced earlier in June during Netflix’s Tudum event include:
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Yim Si-wan: Member of Z:EA who has made a name for himself as one of the best idol actors, he has starred in Misaeng: Incomplete Life and Run On.
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Kang Ha-neul: Through his roles in movies such as Midnight Runners and TV series like When the Camellia Blooms, he has established himself as a heartthrob and leading actor.
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Park Sung Hoon: He most recently starred in the psychological thriller The Glory
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Yang Dong-geun: Also known as rapper YDG, he has also appeared on The Return of Superman along with his daughter Joy.
Lee Jung-jae, Lee Byung-Hun, Wi Ha-jun, and Gong Yoo will all be returning for Squid Game Season 2!
— Netflix (@netflix) June 17, 2023
And #TUDUM just revealed four new actors who will be joining the cast! pic.twitter.com/0iofoBQ1kB
Who will be returning from Season 1?
First row left to right: LEE JUNG-JAE, LEE BYUNG-HUN, YIM SI-WAN, KANG HA-NEUL | Second row left to right: PARK GYU-YOUNG, PARK SUNG-HOON, JO YU-RI, WI HA-JUN | Third row left to right: YANG DONG-GEUN, KANG AE-SIM, LEE DAVID, LEE JIN-UK
As many of the characters in Season 1 perished, returnees Lee Jung-jae, Lee Byun-hun, Hwang Jun-ho, and Gong Yoo round up the star-studded lineup. Phew, that is quite a list! Just having all of them together in one room would be akin to hosting a year-end award. According to Allkpop, Dispatch also revealed that Lee Jung-jae allegedly requested over $1 million dollars per episode. Well now that he's a world star, it makes sense that he’s gotten more expensive too.
When will it be released?
Before you get too excited, bear in mind that it will only begin filming in the second half of this year and the first table read only took place in June 2023. So far, there is no release date yet although it is expected that 2024 will be the earliest that fans can expect the show to be aired.
What to expect?
Spoiler alert: the final episode of season 1 ended with all the players dying with the exception of Gi-hun. Plot details are kept under wraps but in a letter to the fans last year, creator Hwang Dong-hyuk confirmed that the protagonist would be returning along with the Front Man, played by Lee Byung-hyun who terrifyingly oversees the games.
He added that “the man in the suit with ddakji might be back” which is a reference to the mysterious recruiter embodied by Gong Yoo. Young-hee is known as the creepy motion-sensing animatronic doll from the ‘Red Light, Green Light’ game and the audience will be introduced to her formidable boyfriend.
— Squid Game #오징어게임 (@squidgame) June 12, 2022
This suggests there will be a whole new round of daunting games for contestants to play with their lives on the line.
Will there be a season 3?
Fans can keep their fingers crossed as Hwang previously told The Korea Times that he “talks with Netflix over season two as well as season three.”
Are you excited already?
Watch Season 1 on Netflix here.
Image credit: Netflix