Netflix Responds to all-male Squid Game Season 2 backlash
What did you do during the pandemic apart from bake banana bread and wave at loved ones through a window? As COVID-19 gripped the world, there was a slew of entertainment projects that took hold and became a viral success, but none quite like Squid Game.
While plenty of us whiled away our hours playing Among Us or Fall Guys, their meteoric rise was nothing compared to Netflix's chart-topping survival drama. Becoming the streaming giant's most-watched series of all time, it's no surprise Squid Game Season 2 was quickly given the green light.
Squid Game Season 2 called out for all-male cast
Ahead of Squid Game Season 2, the series announced the new cast members for Season 2, with one glaring similarity...they're all men. This didn't go unnoticed by fans, with many calling out the North Korean drama for a lack of female characters.
One critic wrote, "Not gonna watch squid game 2 if there aren't any women," while someone else fumed, "Squid game 2 already looking like a chop like no women announced and they not even giving us HoYeon back and now no one to root for now that everyone know Jung Jae nasty."
A third grumbled, "I was excited to see the s2 squid games announcement until they revealed that there are no women main characters this time," and a fourth concluded, "Women of squid game literally carried the show." Netflix couldn't avoid the controversy and has had to clear up the confusion.
Netflix responds to Squid Game Season 2 controversy
Click to enlargeAs Instagram and the Twitterverse turned on Squid Game Season 2 quicker than a giant robotic doll, Netflix tried to diffuse the situation. Promising this is just the first of Season 2's casting announcements, a spokesperson told Insider more information would be coming soon.
"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" said the spokesperson. Still, the first teaser put the focus on the returning Seong Gi-hun, the Front Man, Detective Hwang Jun ho, and the mysterious Salesman.
Netflix estimates 1.65 billion hours of Squid Game were viewed in its first 28 days (the equivalent of 182,000 years), meaning a lot of eyes were on the first season. With more hype, Squid Game Season 2 could beat this. Now, we imagine there's a mad scramble to cast more women over at Squid Game HQ right now.