The creator of Squid Game has given us some teasers that we've all been waiting for ahead of the upcoming new season.
Ever since the South Korean dystopian thriller series dropped on Netflix in 2021, it's fair to say we've been hooked.
Squid Game received worldwide critical acclaim, boasting a 95 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes and raced to the top of the streaming platform's most-watched list.
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The show follows hundreds of contestants as they battle for survival in a series of twisted 'survival games' - all to be in with a chance of winning a life-changing sum of money.
And it gets pretty gnarly as countless characters are brutally killed off by the bad guys, the Masked Men, while VIPs make bets from afar.
Season 2 did not disappoint when it hit our screens in December. We saw Seong Gi-hun return to the games after becoming the sole survivor on a rebellious mission to put a stop to it and take down the Front Man, the top dog of the operation who has been masquerading as an innocent player. And since it ended on a cliff-hanger, fans have been left to theorize what happens next.
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While all will soon be revealed in the finale coming out, creator, writer, and director Hwang Dong-hyuk, and co-stars Lee Jung-jae (who plays Gi-hun/Player 456) and Lee Byung-hun (who plays as Hwang In-ho, aka The Front Man), sat down to discuss some of those theories - and teased some even darker homicidal games are yet to come.
Why the Masked Men harvest organs
According to one theory, the Front Man 'cheated' when he played in the 28th games, to which the trio agreed he likely had a strong ambition to win 'by any means necessary,' what with then having a sick, pregnant wife in need of a liver transplant.
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The creator said he would've 'done anything to win,' before adding that it's not so far-fetched to imagine he did so 'using unfair means'.
Other fans have suggested the Front Man's wife is still alive, hence why the shadowy organization has been harvesting organs from eliminated players.
However, Dong-hyuk waived the suggestion away, saying her grave was shown in season 2, though clearly some aren't so convinced by its authenticity...
A family plot twist from lactose intolerance
A prevailing theory about the show has come from milk.
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Cast your mind back to season 1, and you'll remember the seemingly harmless and elderly Player 001, otherwise known as Oh Il-nam, who in the biggest plot twist, was revealed to be the wicked mastermind behind it all.
Now, following in the old man's footsteps, the Front Man has put himself in the game under the alias Oh Young-il, and taken on the Player 001 badge.
We already know the Front Man is the older brother of police detective, Hwang Jun-ho, but fans think he could be the old man's son - and/or related to our hero as well.
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This unravels when Gi-hun tells Il-nam he is lactose intolerant in season 1, to which he says his son is, too.
Then in season 2, Young-il gives his milk away.
Dong-hyuk laughed at the suggestion that both Gi-hun and Young-il could be the old man's sons, saying: "Two people being lactose intolerant doesn't always mean they're related."
But it's apparently not just the fans who are suspicious of a possible family tree here, as Byung-hun said he even asked the director about it while on set.
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"He told me it's one of the many devices surrounding the Front Man that are designed to provoke people," he said.
Gi-hun (Player 456) will become the next Front Man
Some fans believe Gi-hun will win the game, again, only this time he will become corrupted and join the dark side - like the Front Man did.
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"I've heard that a lot," Byung-hun said of the theory, even before the second season aired.
Jung-jae added: "Why does everyone think that will happen?"
Yet, determined to keep the ending a top secret, Byung-hun said simply: "I won't tell."
Dong-hyuk, however, hinted Player 456 might not want to become the Front Man, after all winning for the second time would present him with 90 billion won in the bank, 'and that's tax free'.
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The crying baby
Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Dong-hyuk did tease that Gi-hun goes through 'the most dramatic change, in terms of his character arc'.
But it's not just our guy who he tips us to keep an eye on with a baby (as heard crying in the trailer) playing a 'very important role in season 3,' he adds, 'for the fate of everyone inside'.
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He also says we should watch out for Myung-gi (Im Si-wan), the father, who goes through 'a most dramatic character arc development'.
What games will be in Squid Game season 3?
The murderous games have been a sticking point for fans over the course of the past two seasons, so it's no surprise viewers have been keeping a keen eye out for any hints.
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One eagle-eyed fan says they managed to figure out the next games by looking at the walls in different scenes, and predicted Monkey Bars, Human Chess and Yunnori in the new season.
Dong-hyuk admitted he did include the 'Easter egg' initially for fans, but ruled out that he would 'never do the exact same thing' again.
"Frankly, the drawings on the walls have nothing to do with the games," he added. "I don't reuse devices like that."
"How about watching the next season to find out?", Jung-jae added.
Meanwhile, in the interview with Entertainment Weekly, Dong-hyuk gave us a bit more of a hint.
"In the case of season 3, I wanted to introduce games that could really show the lowest bottom of human beings, because the series itself is reaching its climax.
"I wanted very intense games to bring out the bottom parts of human nature."
He continued: "In season 1, we had lots of games like Tug of War that really utilized height and the fear that this height gives, but in the case of season 2, we didn't have that element.
"That is why in season 3, I decided to introduce games that could really infuse fear in people with sheer height."
Some of these theories are right
Ending the discussion on yet another cliff-hanger, Byung-hun said one of the theories mentioned here is 'half right and half wrong.'
"Some of them were partially right," the creator added before ominously concluding: "Squid Game season 3 will be even more powerful and unpredictable."
Where can you stream Squid Game?
Both season one and two of Squid Game are available to watch now on Netflix.
The final season of Squid Game premieres June 27 on Netflix.
Topics: Entertainment, Film and TV, Netflix, Squid Game, World News
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