No one expected it to take off around the world: In 2021, Squid Game took over the series planet with its completely insane storyline, as relentless as it is moving, original and intelligent, twisted, bloody, terrifying – and we found 10 more to match. Adjectives! South Korea made a big bet, a bet that paid off: 6 Emmys in the United States, a first for the country.
With its open ending and its huge success, a season 2 was inevitable and when it came to promoting it, things got serious…
Discover our report Signed by Isabelle Rattan – Editing by Arthur Tourneret – Voice by Carolyn Langlois
AlloCiné was lucky enough to be invited to the events organized to kick off this long-awaited season, and if you thought Paris was already doing a great job – those one, two, three giant suns on the Champs-Élysées – you should know that South Korea saw the bigger picture in the three-day With the crazy events we attended, in the colors of Netflix’s flagship series. And we filmed everything as you can see right there next to it!
Evening and hand-picked guests
It all started with a VIP night, an electric atmosphere with a dress code of black and pink to represent the show everyone is talking about. But first, you need to find your player tag at the participants table: you’re officially in the competition…
On the menu, games: whether it’s quizzes, bingo or drinking games, it’s all there – and a delicious buffet!
The next day, it was the famous green jogging pants from the series that the participants had to wear to start the dance class that we know, but remixed: “무궁화 꽃이 판번 날” or “Mugunghwa kkochi pideon nal”. The romanized version – the Korean “one, two, three, sun” that we see in the first episode of the show that gave us such a shock. We study, we practice, and then it’s a team performance on stage where you have to give it your all: after all, you’ve been filmed by Netflix!
The program includes (all) day activities, traditional Korean games, customizing your own hat with accessories Squid game And his Daenggi headband, again a tradition in the country – all while posing for the camera with some real bad boys dressed all in red. Then, of course, the series’ iconic snacks – Consuming Without Moderation (which we’ll want to take home for re-watching the given program…).
The country’s monument has been requested for this event
Finally, the big day of the world premiere is here and it’s happening at DDP in the landmark Seoul. Dongdaemun Design Plaza is actually a giant cultural complex in one of the most fashionable areas of the city: this is the scale of the project.
And of course, the pink carpet awaits us and the stars later in the evening. But now we’re getting to the actual movie set: a set so larger than life, you’d think you were there. We pass by a metro station where a recruiter offers to play Ddakji? We didn’t dare…
Finally we enter the building: the dormitory, those colorful stairs we’ll never know the meaning of, that screen that sends shivers down our spines (with your portrait, too), the game room where you can try out a new video game. Brings on Netflix and bodyguards around every corner, just to remind you that you’re being watched and that you’re not there to play — or nearly so.
There is also a file room that we would like to explore to find out what happened to the previous winners and why this dear predecessor decided to take over the game after he won in the past…”In-ho, why?This is one of the questions that fans ask, just like Junho, his younger brother, in the series – forever excited.
Then what about the stars?
Obviously, whoever says premiere (especially of this quality), says full cast! Season 2’s returning heroes and newcomers introduced themselves in beautiful intimacy: an intimate and privileged moment for media and invited influencers only.
Late in the evening, it is in the huge projection room that we find the first episode Squid game Season 2, but not before we get to witness the “pink carpet” roll out of the building via a packed screen — a carpet we’ve also covered before, dreaming a bit of a stolen moment of glory.
Guest stars parade and pose to be immortalized. In the room, Korean style, we even have our own lantern to cheer them on!
We find Sae-byeok (Yung Ho-yeon) and Ali (Anupam Tripathi) dead: the crowd is in an uproar, applauding them, as is Mi-nyeo’s interpreter, Joo-ryeon Kim, who vows revenge. Oppa” Deok-soo and he did it epically, we have to admit. And then Park Hae-soo, who played Sang-woo, whose slow betrayal broke our hearts (and his best friend Gi-hoon forever). Beautiful Hoyon’s question also makes us smile: what does he wish for the new actors of the series? “that they don’t kill“- he answered with a laugh: very good advice!
And then, it’s the arrival of our heroes: Joon-ho (Wi Ha-joon), Ji-hoon (Lee Joon-jae) of course, and that dear front man – or In-ho (Lee Byun-hoon) for short, who accompanied by a host of new faces that fans of Korean cinema and K-dramas, as we like to call them, will recognize and try their luck in the series and its deadly in games. Who will survive to the end? This is the question.
But before they join us in the crowded room – where we occasionally return to this giant doll that fuels our nightmares – the press conference suddenly becomes the scene of a fiery dance show: dozens of masked men in red. Start dancing to this remix tune that I told you about before, until the frontman appears, who also starts rocking a wild hip-hop version : we didn’t expect that and what a talent!
During a press conference of almost an hour, deep and researched, the word was given to all the actors of this new season without discrimination: next to the three returning heroes, previously mentioned, Im Si-wan (Run On), Kang Ha-neul (Forgotten), Park Gyu-Young (Sweet Home, It’s Good You Were Not Well), Lee Jin-wook (Sweet Home), Park Sung-hoon (Fame), Yang Dong-geun (Glee), Kang Ae-Sim (Sales Virtue), Lee Seo-Hwan (Devil’s Judge), Chae Guk-Hee (Into the World). Married), Lee David (Itaewon Class), Ro Jae-won (Such a close traitor), Jo Yoo-ri (Mimicus), Won Ji-an ( Heartbeat ), Jeon Seok-ho ( Strong Woman Do Bong Male ), and the sensational deep-voiced pawn from the very first episode, Kim Pab-lae (The river where the moon rises). Finally, all that’s missing is that national gong yo (Last Train to Busan), we admit, we’d love to see how tall he is next to the other actors!
Introducing their characters, the actors are also happy to answer some questions with a small O or X palette (yes or no). Will they actually participate in the games themselves? Some say yes, some say no…it all depends on the context! And to the question, will the second season be better than the first? All answered yes… except one! Series creator and director Hwang Dong-hyuk is also on stage! for what “Because Koreans should be humble“… class.
Will Squid Game Season 2 be as good as the first or even better? Reply December 26 on Netflix. In the meantime, we watched the first episode and we were blown away, really.
And Gong Yoo deserves an Emmy, please.
(Re)discover the Season 2 trailer below:
Source: Allocine
Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.
