Squid Game’screator, Hwang Dong-hyuk, said he felt immense pressure when the hitNetflixseries was renewed for not one, but two more seasons. However, the development process on Season 2 has reportedly led Dong-hyuk to a much better ending for the series.Squid Gameshould need little introduction. The South Korean drama series exploded in popularity when it arrived on the streamer in 2021, taking the internet by storm. Given its success, more seasons were inevitable, and Hwang Dong-hyuk is hard at work on the final two seasons of the show.
Speaking toIndieWire, Hwang Dong-hyuk opened up about the pressure he felt creating Seasons 2 and 3. Season 1 took 10 years for Dong-hyuk to create. But the final two seasons will arrive on our screens in a much shorter time frame. “Because I created Season 1 without much thought about doing the second season,when it was decided that we would do Season 2, the pressure was indeed immense,” he said.
With a two season order,Hwang Dong-hyuk “wrote Seasons 2 and 3at the same time.” He teased that"along the storyline, there is a turning point that takes place, and leads to a series of different events.“The turning point “also leads to a significant change in the character” of Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae). The creator continued:
“Relatively speaking, the ending for Season 2 came to me quite early on. However, the ending to Season 3, actually ended up [in] a different direction than what I had initially conceived of. While I was working on the story and working on the script, I saw this new path that I wanted to go down, and so the ending of Season 3 actually changed in the process of creating Season 2.”
Writing ‘Squid Game’ Season 2 Felt Like a “Burden”
With Season 1 ofSquid Gamebeing such an international phenomenon, the pressure was understandably on for Hwang Dong-hyuk to create a second season that exceeded the first.“I was thinking to myself: will I really be able to pull this off?“he recalled, reflecting on his past self-doubt. Like a lot of writers, Hwang Dong-hyuk said he felt overwhelmedwhen he returned to pen Season 2.But, once he began, the ideas started flowing, and it putSquid Gameon a better narrative path. He continued:
“Will I be able to create or write something that would exceed Season 1? But once I got to writing, and once I got into the story of Gi-hun returning to the games with his own motives, it actually went a lot better than I thought it would. I was able to create a story that I felt was more intriguing, come up with more interesting characters and come up with more original and intriguing games as well.
Along the way, I think that sense of burden or pressure actually changed into a source of joy, and I gradually gained the confidence that we were creating something that the fans of the first season would not be disappointed with.”
Squid Game Creator Was Basically Forced To Return for Season 2 Due to a Netflix Pay Dispute
Hwang Dong-hyuk cited “money” as his main inspiration for returning to helm Squid Game Season 2.
Season 2 ofSquid Gamepremieres on Netflix on December 26.The new season seesGi-hun returning to the games.This time, he’s not there to clear his gambling debts, as Gi-hun puts himself through the games to save the other players and shut them down once and for all.
Squid Game
In Squid Game, a mysterious invitation to join a competition is sent to people at risk who are in dire need of money. Four hundred fifty-six participants from all walks of life are locked into a secret location where they play games to win 45.6 billion won. Games are selected from traditional Korean children’s games, such as Red Light and Green Light, but the consequence of losing is death. To survive, competitors must choose their alliances carefully - but the further they go in the competition, the more likely betrayal will rear its ugly head.
