The Squid Game series that became a worldwide hit in 2021 returns on Netflix with the second season to once again captivate audiences, according to AP News.
The show became Netflix’s most watched series. It also won numerous awards, including Primetime Emmy Awards for acting for Lee Jung-jae and directing for Hwang Dong-hyuk. The success of Squid Game allowed Lee to secure his first English-language role in the series Star Wars: The Acolite for Disney+.
When Netflix ordered the second season, Lee expressed doubts about the timing, as it took Hwang years to work on the first.
I wondered, ‘How many years will it take him to write season two.’
However, Hwang surprised everyone by writing the second and third and final seasons in just six months. “I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to write something that fast again,” he said.
The Squid Game features an underground competition in Korea in which people in debt are recruited to participate in children’s games for money. However, once the games begin, participants learn that debt relief could have fatal consequences, with not everyone surviving the trial.
The series took the careers of some Korean actors like Lee Byung-hun to a new level, making them famous outside the country.
I’ve been an actor for over three decades and … maybe most people outside of Korea have never seen anything that I’ve been in. If anyone through the Squid Game wishes to see more of me or becomes more curious about my previous works, as an actor, nothing would be more rewarding or bring me greater joy.
The actors were asked not to speak publicly about their casting and to wait for an announcement from Netflix. The second season could also spark domestic outrage amid cultural controversy. A transgender character, played by Park Sung-hoon, appeared in the new episodes. Hwang noted that the casting reflected how the LGBTQ community and gender identity were perceived in Korea.
To be honest with you, in Korea, when it comes to the LGBTQ and gender minority community and culture compared to the Western worlds, it’s not as widely socially accepted yet. Unfortunately, a lot of the groups are marginalised and neglected from society, which is heartbreaking.
The second season of the Squid Game is set to be released on Netflix on Thursday, 26 December.
