Squid Game, the Netflix horror thriller from South Korea, returns to the streamer next December 26 with its highly-hyped second season. Showrunner Hwang Dong-hyuk — who works as creator, writer, and director — has shared many new details about the return of the streaming mega-hit, but none of them are as exciting as what he has just said about Squid Game‘s forthcoming installment: “The second season is much crueler, scarier and more gruesome than the first.”
Hwang is currently promoting the sophomore outing of the show that changed his life back in 2021. Squid Game became Netflix’s most successful TV series after a couple of weeks on the platform, with viewers tuning in week after week for their taste at the very sick game, in which desperate, random people attempted to win millions, only to end up slashed and diced in a competition that turned children’s games into death traps for adults.
To this day, the show holds the record for being the most viewed series on the streamer. Hwang has one great challenge ahead of him, and he spoke to Empire about coping with the expectations and the overall direction of Squid Game‘s continuation:
“I believe what we’ve created on Season 2 is a deeper, more advanced story. I feel it could even surpass Season 1. But physically, mentally, it was not easy. Some of the sequences we shot were the most challenging in my whole career. It was… hell.”
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Hwang also addressed some of the real issues that the public may face when watching Squid Game‘s second season. The world is not the same for sure, but the writer/director seems to be aware of this as a factor that could affect people when viewing Squid Game as mere escapism:
“It’s not getting better out there — it’s getting worse. Worse climate change, more wars, more people dying. Compare the world [in 2021] and now — our lives are not improving. You know that!”
“I even had some concerns because the story told in the second season is much crueler, scarier and more gruesome than the first. Honestly, I thought to myself… ‘Is this too much for people to handle?'”
The Horror of Squid Game Season 1 May Give You a Hint
Squid Game‘s first season was already pretty horrific by Netflix or anyone’s standards. Even similiar shows, like their original series Alice in Borderland, have more supernatural elements, or the violence is more absurd. Squid Game, however, is a grounded piece, tuned specifically to the creative whims of one sick individual with a penchant for turning children’s games deadly. Imagine the possibilities if “the creator of the game” — in this case showrunner Hwang Dong-hyuk — had access to a higher production budget and zero limitations? The mind reels at the potentially wild and harrowing moments to come.
The first season was gory and violent, with the difficulty of the games being the least of the players’ worries, with the carnage often coming from what some players did to others. There were also the Battle Royale-like executions that showed where the series took inspiration from classic films by Kinji Fukasaku. Repeating the kills won’t be an issue, since we’re sure Hwang will only use those that were more popular than others, like the “Red Light, Green Light” game carried out by the now-iconic massive doll in a yellow dress.
What children’s games do you think will be included in Squid Game Season 2? Let us know in the comments.
In Squid Game, a mysterious invitation to join a competition is sent to people at risk who are in dire need of money. Four hundred fifty-six participants from all walks of life are locked into a secret location where they play games to win 45.6 billion won. Games are selected from traditional Korean children’s games, such as Red Light and Green Light, but the consequence of losing is death. To survive, competitors must choose their alliances carefully – but the further they go in the competition, the more likely betrayal will rear its ugly head.
- Release Date
- September 17, 2021
- Cast
- Wi Ha-joon , Anupam Tripathi , Oh Yeong-su , Heo Sung-tae , Park Hae-soo , Jung Ho-yeon , Lee Jung-jae , Kim Joo-ryoung
- Seasons
- 3
- Creator(s)
- Hwang Dong-hyuk
- Writers
- Hwang Dong-hyuk
- Directors
- Hwang Dong-hyuk
- Showrunner
- Hwang Dong-hyuk