Everything we know so far about 'Squid Game' season 2

"Squid Game" was officially renewed on Netflix on Sunday after its successful first season.

The Korean series, which premiered in September last year, followed a group of poor civilians fighting for their lives in a deadly competition in order to win enough money to pay off their debts.

The Netflix series quickly became a pop culture sensation after going viral on social media: Replica costumes from the show were worn at protests, YouTubers and other groups pledged to recreate the games in real life, and new memes and TikTok trends were inspired by the games in the show.

A month after its release, "Squid Game" became the most-watched series on the platform and broke records by becoming the first foreign-language series, and first Korean series, to be nominated for a Screen Actors Guild (SAG) award.

The show's creator, Hwang Dong-Hyuk originally told Variety and The Hollywood Reporter that he wasn't too keen to do a second season of the hit show, telling THR that the stress of filming the first season caused him to lose six teeth.

However, in November, he confirmed in an interview with AP Entertainment that he was in the "planning process" for the second season saying: "You leave us no choice."

Here's what has been announced so far about the show's second season.

Warning: Spoilers for season 1 of "Squid Game."

Season 1 ended on a cliffhanger leaving several questions for the audience. The most crucial question was to do with the lead character Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae), a kind-hearted gambler.

After winning the death competition at the cost of his friend Cho Sang-woo's life, Gi-hun fell into a depression. He then discovered that the creator of the competition was one of the competitors he befriended, Oh Il-nam (Hideo Kimura).

At the end of the finale, Gi-hun is faced with a decision to move on with his life and be with his daughter or stop the deadly game once and for all. He appears to choose the latter.

In a statement posted on Sunday, "Squid Game" creator Hwang confirmed that Gi-hun will return for the second season.

While the extent of his role in the second season has not been clarified, he will likely be fighting against the people in charge of competition.

Hwang's statement confirmed that the Front Man (Lee Byung-hun) will return in season 2 and "the man in the suit with ddakji" (Gong Yoo) may also make an appearance in season 2.

Both characters were villains who were part of the secret organization running the deadly competition.

Much of season 1 follows a detective, Hwang Jun-ho (Wi Ha-joon), going undercover in the games to find his missing brother who had previously taken part. However, in episode 8, Hwang discovers that his brother is now the Front Man leading the games and his brother shoots him before the detective can expose their operations.

We never see Hwang's body which could mean the character could return in the second season to try and save his brother. Hwang actor Wi told Deadline last year that he also wants his character to return alive.

"I'm dying to know what happened to him," the actor said. "As a brother, I would ask him sincerely. As a detective, I want to explore the overall secrets behind the game as well. I really hope to see Jun-ho come back alive and explore all these questions. I hope to see a more brotherly-love side of their relationship as well."

"The man in the suit with ddakji" refers to Gong Yoo's unnamed character who appears in the series premiere and finale. He is the recruiter for the games and plays a Korean paper game, Ddakji, with possible contenders before roping them into the competition.

"Squid Game" creator Hwang did not reveal much about the plot of season 2 in his statement, but he did write: "You'll also be introduced to Young-hee's boyfriend, Cheol-su."

Young-hee is the name of the creepy giant robot doll, based on a real statue, used in the "Red Light, Green Light" game in episode 1. In the game, the doll would turn at certain moments to catch contestants out, and if they moved they were shot dead.

According to Koreaboo, Young-hee and Cheol-su were well-known characters from old South Korean textbooks, often depicted as best friends.

This could mean the series will have another deadly game involving a giant, creepy doll.

In March, Hwang also teased that "Squid Game" star Jung Ho-yeon could return in season 2.

Jung played Kang Sae-byeok, a North Korean defector who takes part in the deadly competition to get enough money to reunite her family. The character dies in episode 8 after being killed by Sang-woo just before the final game in the competition.

Hwang told Deadline on the red carpet at the PGA Awards that he would "try something" to bring back actors who play characters that are dead. Gesturing to Jung, he said: "Let's say maybe she has a twin sister, you'll see."

Jung laughed and replied: "I could change my hair color. Let's do a little plastic surgery."

Kang Sae-byeok was Jung's first acting role but she ended up gaining a lot of fans and a SAG award after the show came out.

Jung told The Hollywood Reporter in December that she lost six pounds in the week after the show came out because she struggled to comprehend the success of the series.

Gi-hun's revolution against the deadly competition may not be completed in one season.

"Squid Game" creator Hwang told the Korea Times in December that he was also in talks with Netflix for a third season of the show.

Netflix has not confirmed the third season but season 2 may be left open-ended to allow space for more stories.