Everything we know about ‘Alchemy Of Souls’ season 2 so far: release date, cast, plot, teasers and more

Boasting breathtaking visuals and an all-star cast, Korean drama Alchemy Of Souls has – to everyone’s dismay – wrapped its first season after 20 episodes of high-octane, otherworldly mysteries that have just barely scratched the surface of the show’s sweeping lore.

Penned by the acclaimed screenwriting duo who call themselves the Hong Sisters (consisting Hong Jung-eun and Mi-ran), Alchemy Of Souls is set in Daeho, a fictional kingdom within South Korea that appears to be loosely based on the country’s Joseon era. The series’ first season centred on the origins and rise of Jang Wook (Lee Jae-wook) as Daeho’s most powerful sorcerer, who harbours a dark secret that involves unlawful soul-shifting.

That cliffhanger of a season ending gave us much to mourn and mull over, but the good news is that a new season of the K-drama is on the way. Here’s everything we know about season 2 of Alchemy Of Souls, now revealed to be titled Alchemy of Souls: Light and Shadow and dropping December 10. Expect spoilers ahead.

Latest news:

• First and second teaser trailers for Alchemy of Souls: Light and Shadow released
• New title, Alchemy of Souls: Light and Shadow, announced
• Release window confirmed for Alchemy of Souls season 2
• Season 2 of Alchemy of Souls confirmed

Has Alchemy Of Souls season 2 been confirmed?

Prior to the premiere of Alchemy Of Souls’ first season in June, director Park Joon-hwa shared during a press conference for the series that a second season had always been on the cards for the show. “There were so many changes and variations in our narrative, so I thought I wanted to put a human story in it,” he told press at the time, per Sports Chosun.

“I’m still writing the script for part two, but it’s in progress. A story that can be contained. It was more difficult than I thought to put the narrative and relationship story in 20 parts, so I made the decision [to produce a second season] early on.”

In July, the South China Morning Post reported that Alchemy Of Souls’ second season had been confirmed.

• READ MORE: Alchemy of Souls review: an ambitious spell that risks falling flat

Is there a trailer for Alchemy of Souls season 2?

South Korean cable network unveiled the first teaser for the upcoming second instalment of Alchemy of Souls on November 9. The 16-second clip provides viewers with the first glimpses of Alchemy of Souls: Light and Shadow, starting with the resurrection of primary protagonist Jang Wook.

“I should have died back then,” he says in the new visual, as it launches into a montage of the new season’s action sequences. “If my power serves as justification, not one person will leave this place alive.”

A second teaser for Alchemy of Souls: Light and Shadow was later released by tVN on November 19. This new visual provides a glimpse into the guilt which may have driven Jang Wook into living in isolation. When an unknown woman comes to visit him, he tells her: “I wasn’t even able to protect the one person I promised to protect. How would I be able to protect anything?” The clip then goes on to feature Seo Yul, Nak-su, Jin Cho-yeon and Park Dang-goo, who are seen reckoning with the aftermath of the events of season one.

Is there a release date for Alchemy of Souls season 2?

On October 19, South Korean cable network tvN officially announced via a statement to XSports News that Alchemy Of Souls season 2 is slated to premiere its first episode on December 10. tvN announced on November 9 that Alchemy of Souls: Light and Shadow will air during 9:20pm KST slot.

How many episodes will Alchemy of Souls season 2 have?

According to the aforementioned report by South China Morning Post in July, Alchemy of Souls season 2 will have 10 episodes. That’s half the 20 episodes of the first season.

What could the plot of Alchemy Of Souls season 2 be like?

Spoilers for Alchemy of Souls season one ahead.

According to a Facebook post from tvN dated November 9, the events of Alchemy of Souls: Light and Shadow take place three years following the events of the first season. Given the substantial time jump between the events of seasons one and two, Lee Jae-wook (who plays Jang Wook) spoke in an interview with 1st Look about the difficulty he faced in reprising the character for the show’s second instalment.

“At the end of [season one of] Alchemy of Souls, I had exactly one week to reorganise. After finishing all my overdue activities, the week went by in an instant. Given that, I lacked the strength to reprise Jang-wook three years later [in the show’s timeline],” Lee said, per translations in a November 22 Soompi report. “Because of that, filming was slow at first. The process of accurately understanding and capturing my character was a bit difficult.”

Additionally, the season one finale gave several hints regarding the direction the Hong Sisters have planned for the next season. After the supposed death of Jang Wook at the hands of Nak-su (who is using Mu-deok’s body as a vessel), he emerges from the pyre in the courtyard as it erupts into blue flames, resurrected from the dead due to his identity as the King’s Star.

Meanwhile, the real Mu-deok is on the brink of death after jumping off a cliff and into a body of water. Just as you think she might have met her end, a pair of disembodied hands grab her and pull her back up to the surface.

The end of the final episode also gives viewers a tantalising first glimpse of what awaits them in the second season. In what appears to be a time skip from the events of season one, Jang Wook is seen in the brief clip to be on a killing spree as he mercilessly slays soul-shifters with Nak-su’s sword. Most interestingly, it also teases the return of Go Yoon-jung as Nak-su, intensifying the ambiguity surrounding Mu-deok’s fate.

Who is in the cast of Alchemy of Souls season 2?

As indicated by the aforementioned season 2 preview, it seems that almost all of the existing cast of Alchemy Of Souls will be returning to the show, including Go Yoon-jung, who first appeared as the original Nak-su at the beginning of the show. According to the South China Morning Post, Go’s Nak-su is set to become a leading character in the second season.

The publication also reported that actors Lee Jae-wook, Minhyun, OH MY GIRL’s Arin, Shin Seung-ho, Oh Na-ra and more would reprise their roles – and were later spotted in the preview.

Previous reports said the representatives of Jung So-min (who played Mu-deok) were unable to confirm her involvement in the second season. As the production team told Soompi prior to the season finale: “There are still two episodes left, so it’s difficult to answer because it will be a spoiler.” Considering the uncertainty of Mu-deok’s fate at the end of Alchemy Of Soul’s first season and Go’s return as Nak-su, there is a chance Jung may not appear in the sequel – however, this has yet to be confirmed.

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