Netflix has responded to a wild rumor that Oscar winner Leonardo DiCaprio will star in Squid Game’s third season.
The monster hit, which debuted its second season last month, was soon beset by speculation DiCaprio, 50, would make a surprise appearance in the next series with Korean outlet OSEN first reporting on the alleged cameo.
The report read: ‘Hollywood actor Leonardo DiCaprio will be appearing in the Netflix mega-hit Squid Game Three. Filming has already been completed, and he is said to make a surprise appearance in Season Three, which will be released this summer.
‘It is said that the amount of screen time will not be long, and the exact character, etc. are being kept under wraps due to concerns about spoilers.’
However, Netflix have shot down the speculation, saying in a statement: ‘The rumors are completely false. Reports of Leonardo DiCaprio’s involvement in Squid Game Season 3 are entirely unfounded.’
Squid Game season 2 set a new global viewership record in the process, even after a massive footage leak.
The streaming service announced on Tuesday that the show has amassed a whopping 68 million views in its premiere week, according to a press release.
It is the most views ever amassed for a show’s premiere week, with the show ranking #1 in 92 different countries around the globe, with 487.6 million viewing hours.
Squid Game Season 2 also set another record, becoming the quickest show to enter the streaming service’s Most Popular list for non-English-language shows, doing so just days after it’s debut.
The all-time Most Popular list counts viewership over a show’s first 91 days, though it only needed a few days to debut in 7th place on the chart behind Lupin: Part 2 (68.4 million).
Squid Game Season 1 is the most-watched TV show in Netflix history with 265.2 million views and over 2.2 billion hours viewed.
Given the massively popular launch for Season 2, it’s entirely possible Season 2 could surpass Season 1 on the all-time viewership charts.
The 68 million premiere week views easily smashed the previous record of 50.1 million views by Wednesday back in 2022.
The new Squid Game season also brought the first season back on the charts for the week of December 23-29.
Squid Game Season 1 returned in third place on the non-English TV shows chart with 8.1 million views and 67.1 million viewing hours.
That put it behind behind Season 2 and the limited series La Palma (12.2 million views 37.4 million viewing hours).
Squid Game, from creator Hwang Dyong-kyuk, took the world by storm in 2021, following a group of downtrodden people chosen to take part in a bizarre competition.
While they’re told they have a chance to win untold billions, they are not told they are playing with their actual lives at stake.
The main character was Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae), a gambling addict and father who somehow manages to win the top prize.
Instead of silently taking his winnings, the first season ended with Gi-hun vowing to find the mysterious Front Man (Byung-hun Lee) and stop the Squid Games for good.
Netflix has also expanded the franchise in many ways including the non-fatal reality show Squid Game: The Challenge.
They have also launched Squid Game: The Experience, a touring virtual reality experience where fans can play games based on the show.
There is also another VR adventured dubbed Squid Game: Virtuals and the video game Squid Game: Unleashed.
Netflix has already renewed Squid Game for a third and final season, which is set to debut in 2025.
