Squid Game Is Coming To New York & LA Theaters As Part Of Awards Push
Season 1 of Netflix's explosively popular Korean thriller "Squid Game" left viewers breathless for more, which quickly prompted the confirmation of a second season shortly after. However, the series is coming back in a way most odd (and perhaps ironic) when contextualized against its core message. An exclusive report by Variety confirms that "Squid Game" will be hitting the big screen in Los Angeles and New York later in February, courtesy of Netflix as part of its awards campaign amidst voting for the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards.
At the SAG awards, "Squid Game" is a contender in the Outstanding Cast in a Drama Series category opposite "Succession," "Yellowstone," " The Morning Show," and "The Handmaid's Tale." Apart from this, the Korean drama also garnered nominations in Actor in a Drama Series (Lee Jung-jae, who plays the protagonist Gi-hun), Actress in a Drama Series (Jung Ho-yeon as Kang Sae-byeok/Player 067), and Stunt Ensemble. Besides SAG, the show has received 26 guild nominations so far, and actor O Yeong-su, who played Oh Il-nam/Player 01 in the series, won the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor.
Now, here's what you need to know about "Squid Game" coming to the big screen so that you can finally (re)watch it with your gganbu.
Red Light, Green Light
The first season of "Squid Game" will be screened over two successive Saturday afternoons on February 12 and 19 in both Los Angeles and New York at the Netflix-operated Bay Theater and Paris Theater (Pacific Palisades) respectively. Episodes 1-4 will run February 12 at noon and episodes 5-9 will run February 19 at noon, each with an hour-long intermission. While SAG-AFTRA members will be able to walk in for the screenings, tickets will be made available to the public fairly soon.
There is something unsettlingly visceral about witnessing the countless deaths and cut-throat character dynamics of "Squid Game" on the big screen, but it is bound to offer greater perspective to certain scenes, such as the pink-clad enforcers looking like worker ants and the frenetic, heart-stopping rhythm of the "Red Light, Green Light" game. Apart from this, the reason why the "Squid Game" screenings are worth checking out is the addition of taped introductions featuring the show's stars, who might have a special message or added commentary about the series in question.
"Squid Game" was created, written, and directed by Hwang Dong-hyuk. It stars Lee Jung-jae (as Seong Gi-hun), Park Hae-soo (as Cho Sang-woo), Jung Ho-yeon (as Kang Sae-byeok), O Yeong-su (as Oh Il-nam), Wi Ha-jun (Jun-ho), Heo Sung-tae (as Deok-su), Kim Joo-ryoung (as Han Mi-nyeo ) and Anupam Tripathi (as Ali).
In case you're rooting for "Squid Game" to win their respective nominations, the winners of the SAG Awards will be announced on February 27, 2022, live on TNT and TBS at 8pm E.T. / 5pm P.T.