Leonardo DiCaprio Rumoured To Appear in ‘Squid Game’ Season 3

So far, the two seasons of the main Squid Game show have been pretty self-contained in South Korea, featuring Korean actors and committing itself to mostly having dialogue in Korean, so the addition of a big Hollywood star, Leonardo DiCaprio, could shape up where this franchise goes next.

Squid Game became a global phenomenon upon its debut in 2021, breaking records as Netflix’s most-watched series of all time and sparking conversations about its thrilling narrative and biting social commentary. Its unexpected success transcended language and geographical barriers, earning critical acclaim and a massive international fanbase, going on to be nominated for various mainstream Hollywood awards and pushing main actor Lee Jung-jae into the spotlight, which led him to a role in huge Star Wars show The Acolyte. 

The show’s unique concept of a deadly survival competition with staggering stakes combined with emotional depth and sharp critiques of inequality resonated deeply with viewers worldwide, as well as being entertaining – highlighting the fact that the show comes with a meta level of irony in that we are watching and enjoying the character’s play the games as much as the ‘evil’ VIPS.

Season 2’s launch has now become Netflix’s biggest event ever, a testament to the show’s enduring popularity and cultural impact. The platform has leaned heavily into this momentum, making the new season a cornerstone of its strategy to dominate streaming. Not only this, but it has also launched various spin-offs including Squid Game: The Competition, which saw a real life re-enactment of the show for a real cash prize (ironic) and the heavily rumoured Squid Game: America, which will reportedly be spearheaded by David Fincher. With such high expectations, it’s no surprise that Netflix is enlisting even bigger names for the series’ future, ensuring its legacy continues to grow.

Leonardo DiCaprio Is Rumoured For A Small Role In Squid Game Season 3

Due to this, it’s unsurprising that South Korean outlet Osen is reporting that Leonardo DiCaprio will appear in Season 3 of the hit show, which is going to release in mid-fall 2025. The outlet claims that DiCaprio filmed all of his scenes this past summer in secret, and of course nobody was expecting to see him there. They also claim that his role in the series is only short, but considering it is DiCaprio, it has to be large in some capacity, even if it’s only a narrative one. Netflix isn’t going to be paying the big money just for him to show up and smile.

Whilst this is enough by itself, it’s also very interesting when compared to comments made in the past by series creator Hwang Dong-hyuk, who stated that, as taken from Variety: “There will be no known Hollywood actor in Season 2. That’s not in the plan and if the stage changes, maybe in Season 3 – but for Season 2, it is still set in Korea. Leonardo DiCaprio did say he’s a big fan of ‘Squid Game,’ so maybe if time or chances allow, we can ask him to join the games.”

Dong-hyuk’s specific mention of DiCaprio is what is most interesting, and the fact that he is the name stated out of every other celebrity could mean that something was in the pipeline for a long time. This comment, as well as the fact that Osen reports DiCaprio filming scenes for the show, builds up to a strong amount of evidence that he will in fact appear in the show. 

This would also make sense for the future of the series, considering that the next spinoff is rumoured to be the American version of the games, it would connect well to the next series if DiCaprio appeared as some sort of ‘grandmaster’ and bridges the gap between the two shows, he could even just show up at the end and lead the audience directly into the next show in America.

Squid Game Season 2 was created by Hwang Dong-hyuk. The season stars Lee Jung-jae, Wi Ha-joon, Lee Byung-hun, Yim Si-wan, and more. Season 2 premiered on Netflix on December 26th, 2024 and Season 3 premieres Summer/Fall 2025.

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