Cue the haunting “Pink Soldiers” soundtrack. “Squid Game” will be back for one more turn on the death merry-go-round this summer.
On Wednesday morning, Netflix told reporters that the third and final season of the series will be released in June. At the streamer’s preview event at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood, menacing figures dressed as the pink-suited, mask-wearing “Squid Game” guards marched onto stage to help deliver the news.
“They really don’t want me to tell you this, but I’ve got good news for anyone who binged Season 2 of ‘Squid Game’ over the holidays,” said Netflix Chief Context Officer Bela Bajaria. “I can officially announce that the final season is coming out on June 27th. And I have a sneak peek of Season 3 — but let’s keep it between us so we don’t upset the Front Man.”
The South Korean drama series in which impoverished, debt-ridden citizens compete in deadly games in hopes of winning a life-changing amount of cash had ended its second season on a cliffhanger. When last we left Gi-hun, aka Player 456 (Lee Jung-jae), his attempt to overthrow Front Man (Lee Byung-hun) and those at the top ended in a dismal failure and the death of his closest friend. At the time Season 2 had dropped right after Christmas, creator Hwang Dong-hyuk had confirmed that the third season had already been shot and that it would be released by either summer or fall 2025.
On Thursday, Netflix also released first-look images, including the one above featuring Gi-hun handcuffed to a dormitory bed, for the final season. Here’s a look at the rest of the images:
Kang No-eul (Park Gyu-young), aka 011, is pictured in her pink suit but sans fencing mask. As a former soldier and North Korean defector, she works as a sharp shooter and guard for the games, killing eliminated players. She took the job after multiple failures to find her daughter who had remained in North Korea. When last we saw No-eul, she had seemingly relented and no longer opposed the other guards’ scheme to sell the organs of eliminated players on the black market.
“Squid Game” Season 3 (Netflix)The surviving players — including former special forces soldier Hyun-ju (Park Sung-hoon), pregnant crypto investor Jun-hee (Jo Yu-ri), elderly mom Geum-ja (Kang Ae-shin) and her feckless adult son Yong-sik (Yang Dong-geun) — who were left in the dorm come upon one of the coffins adorned with a pink bow. What — or who — could be inside?
“Squid Game” Season 3 (Netflix)In this image, the Front Man appears to be among the VIPs — the wealthy elite who bet on the outcome of the games for sport — in their luxurious viewing lounge. Last season he had masqueraded as Player 001, fooling Gi-hun into trusting him throughout the games and with the armed rebellion, which Front Man of course sabotaged.
“Squid Game” Season 3 (Netflix)Front Man, previously known in his pre-games life as Hwang In-ho, unmasks in private. Perhaps he is listening to “Fly Me to the Moon,” a song he seems to be obsessed with.
“Squid Game” Season 3 (Netflix)And finally, here’s the first poster for Season 3, showing a guard dragging the body of a player toward a coffin. What’s intriguing are the shadows of what appear to be the deadly “Red Light, Green Light” doll Young-hee and her boyfriend Cheol-su, whom was introduced in the end credits for Season 2. The entire gruesome tableau takes place on a field of flowers, which is new imagery that may hint at a game we haven’t seen yet.
Key art for “Squid Game” Season 3 (Netflix
“Squid Game” Season 3 will drop on June 27 on Netflix.
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