Is there a sequel to “Squid Game”, the Korean series ranked number one in views on Netflix during the weekend?
Since this weekend, many Netflix subscribers have been wondering if a season 2 of Squid Game will see the light of day or not. The Korean series, launched last Friday on the platform, became the most watched series worldwide on Sunday, a first for an original production from South Korea!
Composed of nine episodes, the series features several characters riddled with debt; they are given the opportunity to repay their debts by participating in a series of games inspired by childhood. But very quickly, the participants will discover that elimination will mean death for them …
In an interview with our colleagues from Variety, the creator of the series Hwang Dong-hyuk reconsidered the genesis of Squid Game, originally developed in 2008 as a feature film. The opportunity for him to return in particular to his main sources of inspiration:
I readily admit that I was inspired by Japanese manga and anime. When I started writing the series, I was struggling financially and spent my time in cafes reading manga like Battle Royale and Liar Game. I have come to wonder how I would feel if I participated in a game like this. But I found the rules of these games too complicated, so I decided to use children’s games in my series.
Inspired by the social inequalities of his country, Hwang Dong-hyuk also took up the “island syndrome” which affects a large part of the Korean population: “We are 50 million people in a small country. And separated from the Asian continent by North Korea, we started to develop the isolationist mentality of people living on an island. (…) Part of this stress is felt in the way we always prepare for the impending onset of a crisis. “
Long-term project, the writing of Squid Game took a lot of time from Hwang Dong-hyuk; no less than six months were necessary for the first two episodes, a deadline not taking into account the rewriting phases! Recognizing having used drink to feed his imagination, the filmmaker nevertheless believes that he no longer has the necessary energy to embark on such a project again.
If he does not completely rule out the idea of a season 2, Hwang Dong-hyuk does not yet seem ready to attack the writing. It will therefore be necessary to be patient to hope to discover a sequel to Squid Game, unless Netflix finds arguments convincing enough to convince the latter to tackle the task:
I don’t really have any plans for a Squid Game 2. I’m exhausted just thinking about this. But if I had to do it, I probably wouldn’t do it on my own. I would like to rely on several writers and have several experienced directors to direct the episodes.
The nine episodes of Squid Game, created, written and directed by Hwang Dong-hyuk, are available now on Netflix!
