SEOUL, Jan. 31 (Korea Bizwire) — The highly anticipated third season of Netflix’s global hit series “Squid Game” has officially been given a release date.
The streaming giant announced Thursday (U.S. time) that the series will return for its third and final season on June 27, just six months after the release of Season 2.
It took three years and three months for the second season to arrive after the first season premiered in September 2021. The third season was filmed simultaneously with the second, which consists of seven episodes.
Netflix also unveiled a promotional poster and new stills, offering a glimpse into “what’s next for Squid Game hero Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae), his enigmatic antagonist Front Man (Lee Byung-hun), and more characters caught in the terrifying competition.”
The Season 3 poster features a soldier in the iconic pink uniform dragging a fallen participant wearing number 214, a minor character previously eliminated in Season 2. Looming above are the shadows of Young-hee, the large motion-sensing animatronic doll that monitors players’ movements during the game, and Cheol-soo, another game character.
Cheol-soo has drawn attention from viewers after a previously released teaser poster hinted at its appearance in Season 3 for a role similar to Young-hee’s.
Five new stills from the upcoming season have also been unveiled, showcasing key characters in various situations. Gi-hun is seen handcuffed and defiant after an apparent failed rebellion. The enigmatic Front Man contemplates while holding his signature black mask. A group scene depicts characters mourning around a coffin, including Hyun-ju (Park Sung-hoon), Geum-ja (Kang Ae-shim), Yong-sik (Yang Dong-geun), and Jun-hee (Jo Yu-ri).
Most notably, a still of Noh-eul (Park Gyu-young) without her soldier mask, gazing at something outside the game area, hints at her potentially pivotal role in the new season.
Series creator, writer and executive producer Hwang Dong-hyuk shared his excitement for the upcoming season in a letter released by Netflix.
“I am thrilled to see the seed that was planted in creating a new Squid Game grow and bear fruit through the end of this story,” Hwang wrote. “We’ll do our best to make sure we bring you yet another thrill ride.”
During its Jan. 21 quarterly earnings report, Netflix revealed that Season 2 is expected to be “one of the most-watched seasons” of an original series by the platform, having garnered 165.7 million views in the fourth quarter of last year.
(Yonhap)