Netflix made a special announcement for Squid Game lovers on Thursday. The streaming platform introduced the highly awaited cast for the second season of the hit South Korean series, revealing that several new names have joined the ensemble cast in addition to the original star cast, which includes Lee Jung-jae, Wi Ha-joon, Gong Yoo, and Lee Byung-hun.
Former boy band Big Bang Big Bang member T.O.P has also been cast in the OTT series. And, no, T.O.P’s longtime buddy, lead actor Lee Jung Jae, did not have a major influence in his casting selection.
According to Soompi, Lee Jung Jae’s agency Artist Company issued a statement denying the rumors, which said, “We would like to express our position regarding the reports about actor Lee Jung Jae’s involvement in the casting of Squid Game 2. Some of the reports that claim actor Lee Jung Jae was involved in the casting of Squid Game 2 are not true. The casting of a project is the authority of the director and the production company. In particular, actor Lee Jung Jae understands more than anyone that due to the great interest in Squid Game 2, many actors work hard to make an appearance, and [the cast members] are decided through audition.”
Meanwhile, the actor is trending on social media for allegedly demanding a large compensation for the second season of the show. Lee Jung-jae, according to the South Korean tabloid Dispatch, has demanded $1 million or more for every episode of Squid Game 2.
Dispatch stated, “Netflix cannot afford to overlook Lee Jung Jae’s request,” and emphasized, “Lee Jung Jae asked Netflix seeking a substantial guarantee of over 1 million dollars per episode, which means his appearance fees will amount to a staggering total of over 13 million dollars (given the 13 episodes).”
Actor Jung-jae requests a high salary for Squid Game season 2
Netizens had mixed reactions to the news! One tweeted, “He’s too humble, he deserves 10x more.” Another wrote, “All jokes aside, Netflix made close to 1Billion on the first season, if the 2nd season does the same or better 10M total for the main character is fair tbh.. (about 10 ep ).”
A third comment read, “The first season generated $900 million in value. There were 9 episodes. If everything is exactly the same in season 2, he’s asking for 1% of that value. As the main character.”
There has been no confirmation of the requested salary from Netflix or the performer. If confirmed, Jung-jae will become one of South Korea’s highest-paid performers.
Park Gyu Young, Jo Yu Ri, Kang Ae Sim, Lee David, Lee Jin Uk, Choi Seung Hyun aka T.O.P, Roh Jae Won, and Won Ji An will also appear in the upcoming season. Squid Game: The Challenge is scheduled to be released in November 2023.
