Directed by Hwang Dong-hyuk, Netflix’s Squid Game has garnered immense popularity and has gone on to become the most highly rated K-Original on the streaming platform. On Friday, the director revealed his plans for a possible sequel.
With a scathing commentary on capitalism, the show stars Lee Jung Jae, Park Hae Soo, Jung Ho Yeon and Wi Ha Jun.
Forced into a confined space, with a flurry of shapes, including squares, circles and triangles, the participants are being watched closely by the panoptic gaze of unknown and sinister forces hidden under masks and overalls.
They need to survive to win the prize money of a whopping 456 billion Korean Won. Set in the present, without a distinctly dystopian premise, the series is relatable, gruesome and terrifying.
Hwang spoke to Variety about the unprecedented success of the series that profited Korean media stocks as well as the possibility of returning for a sequel. He admitted that although he does not have any “well-developed plans” for the second season as the thought itself is quite “tiring”, he has not ruled it out completely.
Despite revealing how he was trying to change his ways of not being “great at teamwork”, he added, “If I were to do it, I would certainly not do it alone. I’d consider using a writers’ room and would want multiple experienced directors.”
He also addressed the controversy regarding plagiarism from films such as Kinji Fukasaku’s 2000 film Battle Royale and Takashi Miike’s 2014 film As The Gods Will and acknowledged how these pieces of art inspired him. Confirming that his notes for the film date back to 2008. Yet he admitted, “I freely admit that I’ve had great inspiration from Japanese comics and animation over the years”.
“When I started, I was in financial straits myself and spent much time in cafes reading comics including Battle Royale and Liar Game. I came to wonder how I’d feel if I took part in the games myself,” said Hwang.
He continued, “But I found the games too complex, and for my own work focused instead on using kids’ games.”
Check out our review of Squid Game here.
