Squid Game's Lee Jung-jae recently confirmed when filming will kick off on Season 2 of the Netflix survival drama.
Lee, who plays protagonist Seong Gi-hun, revealed the second season's filming start window in an interview with Ilgan Sports. "Squid Game 2 will begin filming in the summer and the filming will likely last for about 10 months," he said. "We were working on Season 1 for about 10 months as well, but that was with delays caused by COVID-19. But seeing as Season 2 will be bigger in scale, it will probably take longer to complete." In the same interview, Lee also suggested that his Season 1 co-star Lee Byung Hun (The Front Man/Hwang In-ho) could play a more central role in Season 2, due to its revenge-focused plot.
Netflix officially renewed Squid Game for a second season in June 2022. As part of the announcement, the streaming giant shared a teaser video for the next batch of episodes that featured Squid Game's iconic Red Light, Green Light Robot, Young-hee. This was accompanied by a statement penned by series creator Hwang Dong-hyuk that confirmed that Seong Gi-hun and Lee Byung Hun will return in Season 2 and hinted at several major plot developments. These include the potential involvement of "the man in the suit with ddakji" and the addition of a new robot, Cheol-su, who will serve as Young-hee's "boyfriend."
Bad Headlines for the Squid Game Franchise
The news that Squid Game Season 2 will commence principal photography soon is a positive update for the franchise, which has lately been mired in controversy. Notably, contestants on reality TV spinoff series Squid Game: The Challenge recently described their on-set experiences as "inhumane" and derided the competition itself as "rigged." Netflix and production companies Studio Lambert and The Garden have since denied these accusations in a joint statement. "Any suggestion that the competition is rigged or claims of serious harm to players are simply untrue," the statement read, in part.
Then there are the allegations of sexual misconduct against Squid Game Season 1 star O Yeong-su. The veteran actor, who played elderly contestant Oh Il-nam, addressed the case filed against him in a recent interview, expressing remorse and admitting he may have "behaved badly." O is accused of "inappropriately touching" an unnamed woman in 2017 by "attempting to hug [her] by force" and kissing her cheek.
Squid Game Season 1 is currently streaming on Netflix. Season 2 does not yet have a release date.
Source: Ilgan Sports, via allkpop