New ‘Squid Game: Season 2’ Has a Daunting Message for Fans

The marketing for Squid Game: Season 2 is ramping up as its Dec. 26 release date approaches. With less than a month to go before fans of the Korean thriller are invited back into the deadly arena, the latest trailer for the series teases new sadistic challenges, fresh faces, and Lee Jung-jae‘s Player 456 fighting the game from the inside out.

The new clips sees Player 456 attempt to lead the other contestants through a bloody round of Red Light, Green Light, before jumping to someone understandably asking him why in the world did he come back, to which he dramatically replies: “I’m trying to put an end to this game.”

Elsewhere, there are glimpses of what appears to be a terrifying new game of X’s and O’s, an eerie reinterpretation of a merry-go-round, and a suspended piggy bank flooding with cash in case anyone forgot why they were there. There’s also a brooding shot of Lee Byung-hun as the mysterious Front Man while a voice off-screen taunts: “You still don’t see, do you? The game will not end unless the world changes.”

“Season Two explores how Gi-hun follows through on his words after leaving the airport,” said Director Hwang Dong-hyuk in a behind-the-scenes featurette. “Gi-hun’s endeavor to find out who these people are and why they do what they do is the core story of Season Two.” 

Lee added that while Season One showed “glimpses of Gi-hun’s various personalities, such as his optimistic nature and positive energy,” for Season Two “the focus was on his determination.” 

After this second run, the third and final season will be released in 2025.