The casting lineup for the highly-anticipated Netflix original series, “Squid Game 2”, has finally been unveiled.
Released in 2021, “Squid Game” depicted the story of individuals who competed in a mysterious show to win a prize of 45.6 billion won, risking their lives to challenge extreme games in order to become the last winner.
Immediately after its release, the series received global love and became the first non-English language production to win the Best Director award (Hwang Dong Hyuk) and Best Actor award (Lee Jung Jae) at the Emmy Awards.
Due to the phenomenal popularity of “Squid Game”, there was also great interest in the production of a sequel. In response to this, Netflix Korea recently announced that actors who had made an impact in Season 1, including Lee Jung Jae, Lee Byung Hun, Wi Ha Joon, and Gong Yoo, would join Season 2. Meanwhile, Lim Si Wan, Kang Ha Neul, Park Sung Hoon, and Yang Dong Geun are announced as new cast members.
The appearance of such a star-studded lineup raised expectations among fans, who have been eagerly awaiting “Squid Game 2”. However, there was controversy over season 2 casting being highly focused on male actors, as no female star was listed in the first cast announcement.
In Season 1, actresses such as Jung Ho Yeon, who played the role of Sae Byuk, and Lee Yoo Mi, who played the role of Ji Young, gained hot popularity overseas, leading to anticipation for female newcomers to join Season 2.
Regarding this, Netflix implied an additional lineup besides the announced actors, stating, “We are planning to release additional information about the characters in ‘Squid Game 2’.”
Subsequently, news of the casting of Park Gyu Young, Jo Yuri, and Kim Si Eun emerged.
First, Park Gyu Young gained recognition by starring as Nam Ju Ri in tvN drama “It’s Okay to Not Be Okay.” In the same year, she acted as Yoon Ji Soo in Netflix’s “Sweet Home”, and will be appearing in “Sweet Home” seasons 2 and 3, as well as in the webseries “Celebrity”.
Meanwhile, Jo Yuri, a former member of girl group IZ*ONE, is also rumored to appear in “Squid Game 2”. Having challenged acting through the web drama “Mimicus” and a special appearance in TVING’s “Work Later, Drink Now 2”, Jo Yuri has gained some recognition for her acting.
Finally, Kim Si Eun, who gained attention through “Love Alarm”, “Tomorrow”, and “Insider”, won the Best New Actress award in the film category at the 59th Baeksang Arts Awards for her role in “Next Sohee.”
Although the 3 stars’ agencies and Netflix officially stated that it is “difficult to confirm” their casting, there is a general expectation within the broadcasting industry that their appearances are likely to be confirmed. Furthermore, there are predictions that there will be more female cast members in addition to Park Gyu Young, Jo Yuri, and Kim Si Eun.
On the other hand, Jung Ho Yeon, who was the female lead in Season 1, rose to global stardom through “Squid Game.” At the time, she caused a sensation by becoming the first Korean actress to win “Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series” at the 28th Screen Actors Guild Awards (SAG).
Although it is still just “casting rumors”, fans are already showing their excitement. The attention of fans awaiting “Squid Game 2” is now focused on whether a “second Jung Ho Yeon” can emerge.
Meanwhile, the Netflix original series “Squid Game 2” is set to begin filming in July and aims to be released in 2024.
Source: Naver
