The verdict is already in for the new season of Squid Game.
The first season of the well-loved show dropped on Netflix back in 2021, and it’s safe to say it completely rocked the globe.
Created by South Korean film director Hwang Dong-hyuk, Squid Game quickly became one of Netflix’s most viewed TV shows. To date, it has attracted an audience of 330 million and more than 2.8 billion hours.
And fans of the show have had to wait a pain-staking three years for the second season, which was green lit in June 2022.
The wait for Squid Game‘s new season is now over though as new episodes were released today (December 26), and people had been expressing their excitement online before even watching it.
“WHY AM I SO SCARED TO WATCH SQUID GAME 2,” wrote one person on Twitter.
A second penned: “Squid game s2 got me holding my breathhhhhh omg.”
Dozens of others shared their intentions of binge watching the show. Someone said: “Yaaay I can finally binge Squid Game 2.”
“I’m ready to binge this it’s been too long,” echoed a different person on Facebook page Netflix Bangers.
Lee Jung-jae is back as Player 456 in Squid Game season two (Netflix)
While it’s only been on the streaming platform for a short period of time, viewers have been sharing their reviews already.
“Squid Game season 2 is 10x better than the first,” gushed someone on Twitter.
“Squid Game 2 is amazing so far,” added someone else who has begun watching it.
A third went on: “First episode of Squid Game season 2 is amazing already WOW.”
Another social media user said of the first episode: “I thought Squid Game season 2 would be whack but the first episode itself is so good.”
A lot of people were crying out for a second season following the success of the first, but its creator hadn’t initially planned on doing a follow-up.
As to why Dong-hyuk did do another season, it largely came down to money.
Hwang Dong-hyuk is the brains behind Squid Game (Arturo Holmes/Getty Images)
Speaking to the BBC, the 53-year-old screenwriter said that he didn’t make much cash from the success of season one.
“Even though the first series was such a huge global success, honestly I didn’t make much,” he explained.
“So doing the second series will help compensate me for the success of the first one too.”
While money was a contributing factor to him penning a second season, Dong-hyuk also admitted that he ‘didn’t fully finish the story’ in Squid Game season one.
A third season has already been confirmed to be in the works and is expected to be released some time next year.
Featured Image Credit: Netflix
Topics: Squid Game, Netflix, News, Film and TV
Netflix has teased many of its upcoming 2024 releases, including the hotly anticipated Squid Game season two.
The streaming service has given fans just a few lines of dialogue and a look at the show’s lead Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) in his quest for revenge.
The first season of the show saw 456 contestants who were struggling financially compete against each other in a series of children’s games for a prize of 45.6 billion won (roughly $34.2 million).
However, the contest came with a deadly twist. If you lose, you die, leaving no room for error.
Upon its release on Netflix in 2021, Squid Game was a massive global success, racking up more 1.65 billion viewing hours in the first 28 days on the platform, making it the most-watched show in the streamer’s history.
Netflix
The show’s director, Hwang Dong-hyuk, previously spoke to Associated Press about the unbelievable reception that season one received.
He said: “So, there’s been so much pressure, so much demand, and so much love for a second season. So I almost feel like you leave us no choice.
“But, I will say there will indeed be a second season. It’s in my head right now. I’m in the planning process currently. But I do think it’s too early to say when and how that’s going to happen.”
Now, a first look for the show’s second season has finally been released and sees Seong Gi-Hun gunning up to get revenge on the Squid Game frontman who oversaw the games.
As he walks through an airport, he says on the phone: “You’ll regret your decision.
“I will find you. No matter what it takes.”
Netflix
The teaser may be brief, but fans of the South Korean series couldn’t be more excited.
One X user wrote: “I can’t wait!”
Another commented: “I’m here for Squid Game.“
While a third added: “Squid Game is gonna be wild.”
While season two’s release date hasn’t been confirmed, Netflix teased it will be ‘coming this year’.
This comes after Netflix’s announcement in December that it’s casting a new bunch of contestants for season two of Squid Game: The Challenge.
The reality series recreates the outfits, sets and games from the original series, although you don’t actually die if you’re eliminated.
With a prize pot of $4.56 million up for grabs for the last player standing, it’s still a pretty high-stakes competition, with popular contestants from the first season breaking down under the pressure.
Fancy giving it a go? Netflix is accepting applications from all over the world for season two of Squid Game: The Challenge. You can apply here.
Featured Image Credit: Netflix
Topics: Film and TV, Netflix, Squid Game
Mai Whelan is officially a multimillionaire.
Whelan was one of 456 contestants to take part in Squid Game: The Challenge, a real-life version of the hugely popular Korean drama.
The immigration adjudicator won a whopping $4.56 million by defeating her fellow hopefuls, but it took a while for the money to land in her bank account.
Whelan won the show almost a year ago in February 2023, with the finale not airing on Netflix until December 6.
It has since been reported that 55-year-old has now received her money and was always aware that there would be a slight delay in her getting the cash.
A source told PEOPLE that Whelan knew about the payment plan and that she would get her jackpot once the finale had aired.
As to what she wants to do with her money, Whelan shared that she will be donating some of it to charitable causes.
“I have charitable causes I wanna contribute more to,” she told Entertainment Tonight.
PETE DADDS/NETFLIX
The Squid Game winner went on to express her hopes of ‘sponsoring kids receiving education and helping the elderly with their basic needs and health care’, as well as ‘the wildlife and the climate’.
“I think those are very important to how we see the world so that way we can live in it and enjoy it for everybody, not just us at the present moment,” Whelan added.
While Whelan ended up very rich by appearing on Squid Game, other contestants went home with nothing.
Revealing all, Radhika Srinivasan – AKA Player 352 – said they were paid ‘zero’ to star on the show.
“It was all or nothing,” Srinivasan said, referring to the prize money.
“We were really in there acting like that for nothing, because the stakes were so high. It was $4.56 million.”
Netflix
The production company did pay for everyone’s transport to the Squid Game filming sight in London, UK, however. This included flights from overseas.
While she left the programme penniless, Srinivasan insisted that she would ‘not take it back for the world’.
If you were hoping to give Squid Game: The Challenge a try yourself, you’ll be pleased to know the show has been renewed for a second season.
Netflix is currently casting for the new series and, if you think you’ve got what it takes, you can apply here.
Featured Image Credit: Netflix / Instagram/@iammai287
Topics: Netflix, Film and TV, Squid Game, Money
The creator of Squid Game has revealed why the hit Netflix series has returned for a second season.
The South Korean show quickly became one of the most recognized series on the platform when it released in September 2021.
Racking up a huge 2.8 billion hours viewed in its first two and a half months, it cemented itself as the most-viewed Netflix series that year.
The thriller followed hundreds of cash-strapped contestants who were invited to compete in children’s games for a debt-busting cash prize, with deadly consequences.
Despite being a viral and commercial success, director and creator
Squid Game took Netflix – and the world – by storm when it dropped in 2021 (Netflix)
Hwang Dong-hyuk wasn’t exactly planning to continue the story.
Not only did he say the stress of working on the show caused him to lose ‘eight or nine’ teeth, but he didn’t really cash-in on Squid Game’s success.
Speaking to the BBC, Dong-hyuk told them the simple reason he went ahead with a second season was ‘money.’
He explained further: “Even though the first series was such a huge global success, honestly I didn’t make much.
“So doing the second series will help compensate me for the success of the first one too.”
He added: “And I didn’t fully finish the story.”
During a previous interview with The Guardian, Dong-hyuk admitted: “I’m not that rich. But I do have enough. I have enough to put food on the table.”
He then claimed: “And it’s not like Netflix is paying me a bonus. Netflix paid me according to the original contract.”
Dong-hyuk since told the BBC his stress now was ‘even greater’ than filming for the first series.
Netflix confirmed season two of Squid Game had been greenlit in 2022, with the hotly-anticipated first trailers dropping earlier this year.
In the first season, even though everyone who participated in the games technically chose to be there, it was made clear that those who chose to risk their lives did so because they knew their lives outside the games would be miserable – or possibly even short-lived.
Squid Game fans have been patiently waiting three years for season two (Netflix)
While it’s not exactly clear what season two has in store for viewers, it looks like Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) ready for round two of the deadly games – and most fans are expecting equally bleak and fascinating games and choices for the contestants to make.
The teaser promises Gi-hun’s return to the games after that season one cliffhanger, while teasing some chilling new games that are in store as the stakes ramp up.
Squid Game season two drops on Netflix on December 26.
