Netflix responds after fans blast Squid Game season two all male cast announcement

Netflix has responded to backlash following the reveal of an all-male cast for Squid Game season two.

The first season premiered on Netflix in September 2021 and garnered an enormous fan base, quickly becoming one of the most watched shows in Netflix’s history. It also received its fair share of criticism, with many believing it to be too dark and gory for television. Despite that, fans are looking forward to the next chapter in the story, which just received an exciting update.

Recently, the streaming service released a first-look at the second season of the highly-praised Korean drama. The teaser revealed returning characters like Seong Gi-hun, Detective Hwang Jun ho, The Front Man and even the mysterious Salesman from the first season’s first and last episode.

Take a look at the season two cast announcement below.

New faces were also unveiled, such as K-pop star Yim Si-wan, and other actors Park Sung-hoon, Kang Ha-neul and Yang Don-guen. However, while the promise of both new and returning characters did excite fans, many were left disappointed that no female characters were introduced, prompting speculation that the second season will feature an all-male cast.

“Squid Game season two’s new characters are just men, like where are the women???? The female actress was the best thing of season one,” one fan wrote, while another added, "This is an amazing cast??? But kinda wild not a single woman is featured.” Someone else said, "Wait, I just watched the Squid Game cast announcement vid, where are the women?”

Luckily, Netflix took notice of the growing concerns, and responded with the following statement: "This was the first cast announcement for Squid Game season two. We're excited to share more casting news soon, which will include the leading female characters."

It looks like more information is yet to come for season two, which will presumably dive even deeper into the mysterious and corrupt history of the Squid Game. Filming is yet to commence, but is said to be starting production at some point this year. While a specific release date hasn’t been given, it’s believed the second season is aiming for a late 2024 release.