'Squid Game 2' will be 'heavier, darker,' teases director
Netflix's popular South Korean survival drama Squid Game is set to return with a second season on December 26. The upcoming season will see the return of the show's protagonist, Seong Gi-hun (played by Lee Jung-jae), who is now a changed man after winning $4.56 billion in the deadly competition. The new season promises to be a thrilling ride with a "heavier, darker" Gi-hun.
Gi-hun's transformation in Season 2
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Squid Game's director Hwang Dong-hyuk revealed that Gi-hun is a "different person" in Season 2. He has not only survived the games but also learned about his mother's death and his daughter's move to the United States. "In Season 2, you will not be getting the foolish and clumsy or childish at times Gi-hun that you saw in the beginning," Hwang said. "You will get to see a much heavier, darker side of him."
Gi-hun's new mission in Season 2
The upcoming season of Squid Game takes place after a significant time jump, with Gi-hun now on a mission to put an end to the deadly games. Despite his efforts to use his newfound wealth to dismantle the games from the outside, he has been unsuccessful. He now realizes that the only way to achieve his goal is by re-entering the game and dismantling it from within.
Gi-hun's 'game-within-a-game' strategy
"Gi-hun's purpose is not to play the game, but to go after those who have created the game and put a stop to it," Lee explained. "Compared to every other participant within the game and also himself in season 1, the approach that he takes is going to be very different this time around." "It could almost be described as a game-within-a-game for Gi-hun."
New games and returning characters in Season 2
Most of the games in Season 2 will be new, according to Lee. The new season will also see the return of a few familiar faces, including Lee Byung-hun as Front Man and Detective Hwang Jun-ho (Wi Ha-jun), who discovered in the Season 1 finale that the masked leader who shot him is actually his missing brother and a former winner of the game. Gong Yoo will also reprise his role as the recruiter.
'Squid Game' Season 2 to explore capitalism and societal issues
After a thought-provoking exploration of "the unlimited competition in a capitalist society and the way the losers of that competition are treated in our society" in the first season, Hwang is excited to delve deeper into these themes in Season 2. "I'll also ask questions about, do we really have the ability to solve those problems?And is that what we are at the end of the day? Is that what humanity is?"
