Squid Game star Lee Jung-jae felt a “sense of horror” returning for season 2 of the Netflix series

Most people knew nothing about Squid Game until the Netflix series exploded in popularity, but that certainly isn’t the case for season 2. All eyes are on the new season, which will find Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) returning to the arena as he attempts to take down the games from the inside. While speaking with GamesRadar+, Lee Jung-jae said he experienced a “sense of horror” returning to the world of Squid Game.

“Well, I actually didn’t know that I would reprise my role as Gi-hun,” Jung-jae said. “So when I knew that I was going to play Gi-hun again, I had mixed feelings, and I still remember the day when I first set foot on the game arena for the production of season two, and when I opened the door to the set, I felt this horror, this sense of horror.“

The actor continued, “All the memories of season one, playing those games with all my fellow cast, it all came back to me. And I could actually feel Gi-hun’s trauma once again. They were all just coming back to me like big, giant, gigantic waves. And I was thinking, ‘Wow, I’m actually setting foot on this set once again.’ It’s a moment and it’s a kind of feeling that I would never forget in my life.“

The official synopsis for the new season reads: “Three years after winning Squid Game, Player 456 remains determined to find the people behind the game and put an end to their vicious sport. Using this fortune to fund his search, Gi-hun starts with the most obvious of places: look for the man in a sharp suit playing ddakji in the subway. But when his efforts finally yield results, the path toward taking down the organization proves to be deadlier than he imagined: to end the game, he needs to re-enter it.” It’s been announced that a third and final season will bring the series to a close.

Hwang Dong-hyuk once again serves as director, writer, and producer of Squid Game season 2, with Lee Jung-jae, Lee Byung-hun, Wi Ha-jun, and Gong Yoo reprising their roles from the first season. New cast members include Yim Si-wan, Kang Ha-neul, Park Gyu-young, Lee Jin-uk, Park Sung-hoon, Yang Dong-geun, Kang Ae-sim, Lee David, Choi Seung-hyun, Roh Jae-won, Jo Yu-ri, and Won Ji-an.

Netflix is also moving forward with a second season of Squid Game: The Challenge, a reality series in which 456 players compete for a US$4.56 million cash prize by competing in challenges based on those in the series… although without all the death. There have also been rumblings that David Fincher is developing an English-language Squid Game series, but nothing has been confirmed. Squid Game season 2 will debut on Netflix on December 26th.