Squid Game’s Lee Jung-jae Says Season 2 Will Have ‘Surprises’ (Exclusive)

Lee Jung-jae teases season 2 Play octopus.

Speaking to PEOPLE at the show’s premiere in Los Angeles on Dec. 12, the actor said fans have a lot to look forward to with the upcoming season. Talking about his favorite part of filming, Jung-jae reveals that “the new games” are the most exciting.

“So I can tell you for sure that you will have even more surprises because there are games within games and I call them psychological warfare,” he explains. “We have so many of them in Season 1. So at one time you’ll be enemies, the two of them will be enemies, and the other time they’ll be friends. So you don’t know what’s going to happen.”

“There are so many twists and turns, so you get a big surprise,” he adds.

After the massive success of the first season, which was Netflix’s “biggest series launch ever,” Jung-jae gushes about the fan support he’s felt over the release of season 2.

“I want to say that I know a lot of fans are rooting for us,” he notes. “They love us, and what I really feel special about Squid Game is that not only do I have Korean fans now, but people all over the world noticed me and they love me. So I really like that. ”

Play octopus is Netflix’s most watched series in 94 countries, with over 142 million member households and 1.65 billion viewing hours in the first four weeks. In June 2022, creator and director Hwang Dong-hyuk teased the plot of season 2.

“It took 12 years to bring the first season off Play octopus to life last year. But it took 12 days Play octopus to become the most popular Netflix series ever,” Hwang said in a statement for Netflix. “As writer, director and producer of Play octopusa huge shout out to fans all over the world. Thank you for watching and loving our show.”

The second installment will follow Jung-jae playing Seong Gi-hun as he re-enters the game.

“Three years after winning the Squid Game, Player 456 gave up going to the United States and comes back with a new resolution in mind,” reads the synopsis. “Gi-hun dives into the mysterious survival game once again and starts another life-or-death game with new contestants gathered to win the prize of 45.6 billion won.”

Besides Jung-jae, Lee Byung-Hun, Wi Ha-jun and Gong Yoo are also returning for season 2, and despite most of the characters being killed off in season 1, Dong-hyuk told Deadline“I want to try something to bring them back for season 2.”

New cast members were also revealed during Tudum: A Global Fan Event in June 2023, naming Yim Si-wan, Kang Ha-neul, Park Sung-hoon, and Yang Dong-guen.

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Play octopus Season 2 premieres on December 26, 2024 on Netflix.