‘Squid Game’ Creator Talks ‘Immense Pressure’ Of Season 2

“Squid Game” author and director Hwang Dong-hyuk devoted practically a decade to creating the story that might finally turn into the primary season of his Netflix drama.

Nevertheless, after the collection grew to become a worldwide phenomenon, followers and the platform shortly demanded extra. Hwang abruptly discovered himself tasked with writing and producing two extra seasons in a fraction of the time it took to create the unique. The Season 2 trailer teases the return of Gi-hun to the lethal video games, this time utilizing his hard-earned information to assist others navigate the life-or-death challenges.

Regardless of his warnings of inevitable hazard, a brand new wave of contestants is keen to threat every part for the possibility to win billions within the “Squid Recreation.”

Inside a month of its launch, “Squid Recreation” grew to become Netflix’s most-watched collection, shattering data as the primary Korean and foreign-language present to obtain a Display screen Actors Guild (SAG) nomination. Constructing on its large success, Netflix launched a reality competition series impressed by the drama, which premiered in November 2023.

Now, the franchise is making ready to launch a second season.

“As a result of I created Season 1 with out a lot thought of doing the second season, when it was determined that we might do Season 2, the strain was certainly immense,” director Hwang advised IndieWire. “I used to be considering to myself: will I actually have the ability to pull this off? Will I have the ability to create or write one thing that might exceed Season 1?”

“However as soon as I bought to writing, and as soon as I bought into the story of Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) returning to the video games together with his personal motives, it really went rather a lot higher than I assumed it might,” he continued. “I used to be in a position to create a narrative that I felt was extra intriguing, give you extra attention-grabbing characters and give you extra authentic and intriguing video games as properly.”

“Alongside the best way, I feel that sense of burden or strain really turned into a supply of pleasure, and I regularly gained the boldness that we had been creating one thing that the followers of the primary season wouldn’t be upset with,” he added. “Having mentioned that, it was clearly no straightforward feat. Nevertheless, I feel with that confidence, I used to be in a position to enter it with a greater strategy.”

Hwang revealed to IndieWire that creating Season 2 alongside the third and remaining season, set to launch in late 2025, considerably influenced his writing course of, shaping the story in ways in which wouldn’t have been potential with extra time between installments.

“I wrote Seasons 2 and three on the similar time… and alongside the storyline, there’s a turning level that takes place, and that results in a collection of various occasions, and likewise results in a major change within the character,” Hwang mentioned. “Comparatively talking, the ending for Season 2 got here to me fairly early on.”

He added, “Nevertheless, the ending to Season 3, really ended up [in] a distinct path than what I had initially conceived of. Whereas I used to be engaged on the story and dealing on the script, I noticed this new path that I wished to go down, and so the ending of Season 3 really modified within the course of of making Season 2.”

The first season of “Squid Game” concluded with a cliffhanger, leaving many unanswered questions. On the middle of the intrigue was Seong Gi-hun, a kind-hearted however struggling playing addict portrayed by Lee Jung-jae.

After rising victorious within the lethal competitors at the price of his buddy Cho Sang-woo’s (Park Hae-soo) life, Gi-hun sank right into a deep despair. His despair solely deepened upon studying that certainly one of his closest allies within the sport, Oh Il-nam (Oh Yeong-su), was, in actual fact, the mastermind behind all the competitors.

On the finish of the finale, Gi-hun was left with a pivotal selection: concentrate on rebuilding his life and being there for his daughter or dedicate himself to placing an finish to the lethal sport. Within the remaining moments, he appeared to go for the latter.

Season two teasers have revealed that Gi-hun will re-enter the competitors, and the most recent trailer presents perception into his motives—this time, he seems to be guiding contestants to outlive and probably insurgent towards the sport. Nevertheless, for his plan to work, he’ll want to beat their inherent greed.

Gi-hun’s return in season two is only the start, as his struggle towards these working the lethal competitors is ready to proceed into the third and remaining season.

“Squid Recreation 2” premieres December 26 on Netflix.