Director accuses Netflix and ‘Squid Game’ of plagiarising their idea
As one of the biggest shows in Netflix history, a cultural sensation, and an awards season favourite, creator Hwang Dong-hyuk developed a gem of an idea when he concocted the premise for Squid Game.
456 people facing dire economic straits risk their lives to play a string of children’s games in the hopes of winning a lucrative prize that would change everything. Of course, the tasks are hardly kid-friendly in their revised form, with the contestants gradually being whittled down until the victor emerges.
Socially conscious dystopian thrillers with sci-fi elements – or even reality TV-inspired genre flicks where the competition turns deadly – were hardly pioneered with Squid Game, and one filmmaker has waited 15 years after the release of one of their movies to accuse both the show and the streaming service of plagiarism.
Soham Shah has filed a lawsuit against Netflix and Dong-hyuk, accusing the two parties of liberally copying his 2009 feature, Luck. There are certainly superficial similarities with the film following Sanjay Dutt’s Karim Moussa, a high-stakes gambler who orchestrates a contest in which desperate cash seekers need to eliminate each other to become the last one standing and claim the prize.
Unsurprisingly, Netflix vehemently denies the accusations. The company’s representatives issued a statement, underlining that “Squid Game was created and written by Hwang Dong-hyuk, and we intend to defend this matter vigourously”. The streamer is adamant that Shah’s legal filing has no factual basis or merit that would stand up under legal scrutiny.
Ironically, Dong-hyuk has previously revealed that he began developing the concept that would ultimately become Squid Game in 2009, the very same year Luck was released, which has come back to haunt him in a roundabout way. As a result, Shah has alleged that the timeline fits up a little too nearly with his liking, alleging that the Netflix hit was inspired directly by his work in a manner that’s more than coincidental.
There are definitely similarities between Squid Game and Luck in the broadest sense, so it’s not as if Shah is pulling his accusations out of thin air a decade-and-a-half down the line. However, there are also elements of the Korean series reminiscent of Battle Royale, Liar Game, As the Gods Will, and even The Most Dangerous Game, but nobody involved in those respective properties has decided to sue.
Things are in the very earliest stages, though, even if Netflix isn’t going to be breaking a sweat over the looming threat of litigation.