Netflix has renewed two of its most successful television series – Squid Game and 3 Body Problem – for additional episodes after they both received acclaim upon their initial releases. Both shows are entering into their second seasons on the streaming platform.
Squid Game Season 2 is expected to begin streaming on Netflix later this year, Comic Book is reporting. While an official release date has not yet been announced for the action thriller’s sophomore season, it’s believed the project’s latest episodes will debut this December.
While discussing his role in the upcoming season with Business Insider, the drama’s lead actor, Lee Jung-jae, who plays protagonist Seong Gi-Hun, shared that the new episodes will premiere at the end of the year. However, the Emmy-winning performer didn’t reveal any specific details about the story that will be featured in the new episodes.
Squid Game‘s original creator, Hwang Dong-hyuk, will also return to the series as a director and executive producer for its upcoming follow-up season. Besides Jung-jae, the show’s second season will also star Lee Byung-Hun as Front Man, Wi Ha-jun as Hwang Jun-Ho and Gong Yoo as the currently unnamed recruiter for the games.
The Golden Globe-winning horror series’ sophomore season will also feature new additions in the cast. Those performers include Yim Si-Wan, Kang Ha-Neul, Park Sung-Hoon, Yang Dong-Geun, Park Gyu-young, Jo Yu-ri, Kang Ae-sim, Lee David, Lee Jin-uk, Choi Seung-hyun, Roh Jae-won and Won Ji-an in currently unconfirmed roles.
Season 2 of 3 Body Problem, meanwhile, will conclude the story that began in the fantasy drama’s debut run, Deadline is reporting. The series’ next season will be executive produced and written by David Benioff, D.B. Weiss and Alexander Woo, who co-created the project together.
Benioff and Weiss are also set to continue their exclusive partnership with Netflix, as the company has extended their multi-year deal to write, produce and direct new shows and films. In addition to second season of 3 Body Problem, the duo are also working on the recently announced series Death by Lightning. Woo, who has an overall deal with Netflix, will return as co-creator, executive producer and writer on 3 Body Problem.
The mystery thriller tells the story of humanity’s first contact with an alien civilization. It follows a young woman who makes a fateful decision in 1960s China that ultimately reverberates across space and time into the present day. When the laws of nature inexplicably unravel before their eyes, a close group of brilliant scientists join forces with an unflinching detective to confront the greatest threat in humanity’s history.
The cast of 3 Body Problem‘s first season includes Jovan Adepo, John Bradley, Liam Cunningham, Eiza González, Jess Hong, Marlo Kelly, Alex Sharp, Sea Shimooka, Zine Tseng, Saamer Usmani, Benedict Wong, Jonathan Pryce, Rosalind Chao, Ben Schnetzer and Eve Ridley.
“We’re thrilled that we get to tell this story through to its epic conclusion. Ever since we read the last page of Cixin Liu’s magnificent trilogy, we hoped we’d be able to bring the audience to the end of the universe with us. Here we go!” shared Benioff, Weiss and Woo in a joint statement.
Weiss discussed the challenges the drama would present if it was renewed for a follow-up season while promoting the project at Deadline’s Contenders TV last month.
“This kind of eases you into the world of the story but the story gets really wild in the best possible way,” the co-creator said. “With something that’s that wild, there are a lot of choices to be made and a lot of things to be figured out. We’ve been putting our heads together to figure them out recently especially the past couple of months.”
Besides Woo, Benioff and Weiss, 3 Body Problem‘s executive producers also include Bernadette Caulfield, Rian Johnson, Ram Bergman, Nena Rodrigue and Lin Qi, Zhao Jilong. They’re joined by Brad Pitt, and Dede Gardner’s Plan B Entertainment and Jeremy Kleiner’s company, along with Rosamund Pike and Robie Uniacke for Primitive Streak.
The screen adaptation’s second season will bring the story through the end of the events that are depicted in the original novel it’s based on. The show is inspired by the 2008 Hugo Award–winning Chinese novel The Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin.
The screen adaptation’s eight-episode first season follows Ye Wenjie (Rosalind Chao), an astrophysicist who witnessed her father being beaten to death during a struggle session in the Chinese Cultural Revolution. Due to her scientific background, she is then sent to a secret military base in a remote region.
While at the base, she decides to respond to contact from an alien planet. Ye’s reply affects a group of scientists in the present day, as it forces them to confront humanity’s greatest threat.
Jovan Adepo, John Bradley, Rosalind Chao, Liam Cunningham, Eiza González, Jess Hong, Benedict Wong and Jonathan Pryce also star in 3 Body Problem.
The announcement of both shows’ renewals were made during Netflix’s Upfronts presentation, which was held yesterday.
If you like the article, share your thoughts below!