By Jacob VanGundy
| Published
Squid Game Season 2 is on the way, with the hit show debuting its first trailer yesterday. The trailer shows a follow-up season that mixes familiar images with some new twists on the formula established in the original season. While none of the new death games were revealed, flashes of their gameplay could be seen, which could hold clues about what to expect.
The trailer for Squid Game Season 2 is largely focused on the iconic first death game, Red Light, Green Light. It also features returning survivor Seong Gi-hun trying to help the new contestants survive, leading them through the game and urging them to vote to end the game rather than continue. With the premise set, the rest of the trailer shows plenty of exciting but unspecific action both in and outside the games.
The Return Of Seong Gi-hun
While the trailer for Squid Game Season 2 highlighted a few notable new plot elements. The return of Seong Gi-hun, played by Lee Jung-Jae, gives the show a new dynamic to play with, as a returning survivor isn’t something the original season had. The fact that every game will be followed by a vote to continue, instead of just the first game, is another change that could let the show explore new themes and plots.
Glimpses Of Other Games
The signature death games in Squid Game were kept mostly under wraps in the Season 2 trailer. Red Light, Green Light appears to be unchanged from the first season, giant creepy robot doll and all. Flashes of other games are seen, including three identical doors side by side in what could be a forced choice game and what looks like a contestant narrowly missing the chance to go through a metal door in what seems like some kind of race.
Despite the relative lack of new details in the trailer, Squid Game Season 2’s trailer has already been watched over 29 million times on YouTube, a testament to the show’s immense popularity. The South Korean show became a smash hit after it was released on Netflix in 2021, becoming one of the platform’s most popular shows as word of mouth gradually built up its fanbase. It was also a hit with critics, earning a 95 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.
The Most Anticipated New Release Of The Year
Squid Game Season 2 will see some important talent returning both on and off the screen. Lee Jung-Jae will be joined in the cast by Wi Ha-Joon, reprising his role as Detective Hwang Jun-ho, who infiltrated the games in the first season. Most importantly, the show’s creator, Hwang Dong-hyuk, is returning as writer, director, and showrunner for the follow-up.
It’s all but guaranteed that Squid Game Season 2 will be one of the biggest TV shows of the year, given the title’s pop culture footprint, but it will be interesting to see how well it holds up to the original. Dong-huk has proven he can deliver a great story, but keeping viewers invested without the novelty of a fresh premise will be a new challenge for the show. The new season comes out on December 26, 2024, on Netflix.
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