Netflix Denies Leonardo DiCaprio's Rumored Appearance in Squid Game Season 3

Netflix has officially dismissed rumors regarding Hollywood star Leonardo DiCaprio's potential cameo in the upcoming season 3 of Squid Game (오징어 게임). A media outlet reported on January 1, 2025, that DiCaprio would make a surprise appearance in the highly anticipated season, claiming that filming took place secretly last year. However, Netflix labeled these claims as "baseless rumors."

Previously, director Hwang Dong-hyuk and lead actor Lee Jung-jae expressed their interest in DiCaprio's involvement. After Squid Game won six Emmy Awards in 2022, Hwang mentioned during a press conference that they had discussed the possibility of DiCaprio joining the cast, noting that he is a fan of the series.

In a red carpet interview, Lee Jung-jae, who won the SAG Award for Best Actor in 2022, also named DiCaprio as an ideal American actor for season 2.

The recently released Squid Game 2 (오징어 게임 2), which premiered on December 26, 2024, follows Gi-hun (played by Lee Jung-jae) as he returns to the deadly games for revenge, facing off against the Front Man (played by Lee Byung-hun). According to global OTT ranking site FlixPatrol, Squid Game 2 has maintained the number one spot in Netflix's global TV show category since December 27, 2024, and ranked first on December 31, 2024, just six days after its release.

The official Netflix Top 10 reported that Squid Game 2 garnered an impressive 487.6 million viewing hours during the fourth week of December (December 23-29), surpassing the previous record set by season 1, which had 448.7 million hours in its debut week in September 2021.

Squid Game season 3 is expected to be released later this year.