Creator Hwang Dong-hyuk has confirmed Squid Game season 2 will see the return of Lee Jung-jae's Seong Gi-hun and Lee Byung-hun's Front-Man. Hwang confirmed that he hopes a second season will be released by 2024, following his work on a film inspired by the works of Umberto Eco. Lee Jung-jae portrayed the 456th player in the lethal tournament, while Lee Byung-hun played the mysterious masked host of the games.
Released in September 2021, Squid Game follows divorced gambler Seong Gi-hun, who enters a seemingly harmless tournament to clear his debts and prove himself able to qualify for custody of his daughter. However, he soon learns that the once-thought-to-be innocent childhood games carry lethal twists, and Gi-hun would be forced to win and outlive his fellow competitors, all while the mysterious Front-Man maintains the rules of the game while entertaining the incredibly wealthy spectators. While Hwang is currently developing Killing Old People Club, a film inspired by the works of Italian philosopher and writer Eco, the creator of the immensely popular Netflix hit is looking forward to the next season of the tense survival drama, revealing two familiar faces that will be returning to the clandestine, chilling games.
As reported by Deadline, Hwang and Squid Game star Park Hae-soo, who portrayed player 218 and childhood classmate of Gi-hun, Cho Sang-woo, revealed the details about the second season during Deadline's Annual Contenders event. Heang confirmed that Gi-hun would return in season 2 following his victory and choice to return at the end of season one. The creator also confirmed that the Front-Man would return after overseeing Gi-hun's ordeal, as well as his cliffside confrontation with his brother and undercover police officer Hwang Jun-ho (Wi Ha-joon). Check out Hwang's full response below.
Gi-hun for sure. He will be back and I believe the Front Man will back too.
Before Hwang had officially confirmed Gi-hun's return in season 2, Lee had teased the character's upcoming storyline in an interview, revealing that the creator had informed him of where the story would take Gi-hun. Despite winning the games, Gi-hun was traumatized by the events he'd faced and losses he'd endured. He only dared to touch the money after a final conversation with the game's true creator, the previously assumed dead player 001, Oh Il-nam (O Yeong-su). Following the meeting, Gi-hun ensures former friends Sang-Woo's mother and Kang Sae-byeok's (HoYeon Jung) brother are taken care of financially, before heading off to Los Angeles to reunite with his daughter. However, upon seeing the recruiter who introduced him to the games invite a new potential player, Gi-hun abandons his flight, despite being warned by an ominous phone call. Lee confirmed that Gi-hun is returning to the games, but hopes Hwang will introduce more unpredictable twists.
While an expanded and updated version of the game was confirmed by Hwang for Squid Game season 2, and the series' stars had hinted at a return, the creator's more explicit confirmation is sure to have fans speculating how Squid Game's second season can shock audiences further. The Front-Man's return may see him forced to tackle his feelings over shooting his brother, as well as explore how he became the masked figure. Meanwhile, Gi-hun's future may prove more mysterious, as rather than live in comfort with everything he desired following his victory, he is choosing to return, with the potential knowledge to prove a thorn in the side of the game's elite spectators and organizers.
Source: Deadline