Behind the High-Stakes Creation of Squid Game 2

As a passionate viewer and critic of various films and series, I have to admit that I was utterly captivated by the debut of “Squid Game” two years ago. The unique blend of suspense, drama, and dark humor struck a chord with me, leaving me on the edge of my seat throughout the entire season.

For Hwang Dong-hyuk, the task ahead is considerable as there are two more installments of “Squid Game” on the horizon – with the second season debuting on December 26, and the third slated for a 2025 release. The creation of this highly valued South Korean intellectual property, spanning over a decade, has not been without its challenges, and it’s not just the lost teeth from filming the first season that add up to the cost. “I had to write, create, and shoot seasons two and three back-to-back,” he shares with TIME. “The sheer amount of work involved was incredibly intense.

Initially, Squid Game was expected to be a standalone South Korean drama like others. However, unexpectedly, it skyrocketed in popularity in 2021 and captured global attention. As a result, Netflix and the show’s creator have been striving to surpass their initial production with the aim of extending the remarkable legacy that the series has established.

Creating the cultural phenomenon

To everyone’s astonishment, “Squid Game” became Netflix’s most-watched series ever, earning six Emmy awards out of 14 nominations, with one being a historic Best Director win for Hwang. This show generated approximately $900 million in value for the company—more than 40 times the cost of producing the nine-episode dystopian drama. The series’ success demonstrated that viewers are willing to watch subtitled content if the story is compelling, a point made by “Parasite” director Bong Joon-ho when he won a Golden Globe for that film a year before the debut of “Squid Game.

The influence of Squid Game on pop culture surpassed its success, leaving an indelible mark. This South Korean series not only increased the worldwide interest in K-pop but also expanded the popularity of Korean entertainment to unprecedented levels. Green tracksuits, sneakers, triangle-circle-square masks, and even dalgona candy, which were prominently featured in the show, became popular items, selling like hotcakes. Additionally, video games inspired by the series began to appear shortly after its release.

Not only did Squid Game become more than just a temporary trend, but its success sparked a flourishing collection of related content. Shows like Culinary Class Wars, which debuted this year and features themes similar to social hierarchy, have been compared by some viewers to “MasterChef meets Squid Game.” MrBeast promised the largest TV prize ever for a winner-takes-all game show, but his production company faced lawsuits over allegations of mistreating contestants. Squid Game even inspired its own Netflix reality game show, pitting participants against each other in a battle to win $4.56 million, mirroring the original’s premise. Additionally, David Fincher is set to be involved in an English-language adaptation of the series for Netflix.

So far, nothing on Netflix’s Korean content has matched the success of Squid Game. In an attempt to find its successor, Netflix is investing a substantial $2.5 billion into Korean productions. As Squid Game continues to captivate audiences worldwide, Netflix remains committed to collaborating with local creators to produce stories that resonate with their respective communities. In the meantime, they are maximizing the potential of the Squid Game franchise: selling merchandise like tracksuits, creating life-size dolls for promotional purposes, and even releasing a Squid Game-themed online game. Additionally, various brands such as Burger King France, Xbox, and Johnnie Walker are tapping into the franchise’s popularity by offering Squid Game-themed menus, controllers, and bottles respectively. However, this commercial exploitation has raised concerns due to the franchise’s anti-capitalist themes, with critics questioning Netflix’s actions.

A bigger, better sophomore season

But Hwang knows it all comes back to a quality show underpinning everything now in its orbit. The pressure is on him and his team to replicate their earlier success, a tall order considering what a factor the sheer surprise of the phenomenon, impossible to replicate now, played back in 2021.

I, Hwang, didn’t hesitate to move forward with additional seasons because of a simple reason: financial gain. The first season didn’t bring in as much money as I had hoped due to my contractual payment not being adjusted based on the show’s success. A second season could help me recoup my initial investment, and I’ve promised that it will be larger and more impressive. Although I didn’t have a specific plan for another season initially, I intentionally left some unresolved plotlines in Season 1 to foster further story development. These lingering questions include how the protagonist Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) would seek revenge on the game’s overseer, the Front Man’s background, and the fate of the detective who infiltrated the game but was ultimately shot. I believe these unanswered questions will facilitate a natural progression of the story, and expanding the show’s universe wasn’t an insurmountable task.

This season, Hwang’s focus is on choices and their resulting conflicts and splits among the characters. A large X (no) and O (yes) have become the central feature of the players’ dormitories. If a majority votes at the end of each round, a player can leave the game, and the earnings up to that point will be evenly distributed among the survivors who remain. Hwang hopes to emphasize the significance of voting to the show’s Korean audience, particularly in light of South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol’s recent threat to impose martial law. He believes this will serve as a reminder for viewers about the importance of each vote and why our individual votes are so valuable.

New games and new faces

In the latest installment, fresh games are introduced along with a brand new ensemble, most of whom replace the characters who perished in the previous season. Lee Byung-hun, portraying the enigmatic Front Man, expresses enthusiasm about this development. “I believe the cast significantly boosts Squid Game, and in this season, they’ve all delivered exceptional, vibrant performances,” he remarks. The actors from Season 1 were recognized for their outstanding work: Lee Jung-jae receiving an Emmy and a Screen Actors Guild Award, while Oh Young-soo, Lee You-mi, and Jung Ho-yeon garnered several awards for their characters introduced in the first season.

In the upcoming series, Squid Game 2, some actors are returning to their roles such as Wi Ha-jun as the detective and Gong Yoo as the Recruiter. Additionally, Korean veterans like Kang Ae-sim from The Glory, Park Sung-hoon from Sweet Home, and Park Gyu-young and Lee Jin-uk are joining the cast. Furthermore, popular figures such as Jo Yu-ri from Iz*One and actor-singer Yim Si-wan will also be part of the ensemble. Lee Byung-hun comments that the second season is not only more action-packed but also larger in scope.

A new player roster also presents several new personal and grounded storylines: from a mother and son pairing, to a transgender woman who needs money for gender-affirming surgery, to a YouTuber who lost large sums in a cryptocurrency scam. Lee Seo-hwan, who briefly appeared in Season 1 as Gi-hun’s friend at the horse race, takes on a bigger role as he joins the Game just as Gi-hun reenters. “I guess he’s a big risk factor to Gi-hun regarding his big plan,” Seo-hwan tells TIME, given the personal connection between his character and Gi-hun. 

In the meantime, Lee Byung-hun mentions that his character, who was somewhat mysterious last season, will have more of his backstory revealed. On the other hand, Lee Jung-jae expresses his ambition to portray the intricate moral dilemmas faced by his character, Sang-woo (Gi-hun), as he grapples with deciding between right and wrong. Byung-hun explains to TIME that while Gi-hun strives to make the correct decisions, there are numerous opportunities for him to succumb to temptations that appear to be minor but could ultimately lead to harmful consequences, even if they serve a greater purpose in the long run.

It’s yet to be determined if the upcoming episodes of Squid Game 2 will match the initial series in terms of audience and critical reception. However, it has already gained some momentum as it was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best TV Drama prior to its release. For creator Hwang, regardless of awards, the show’s primary goal is to entertain. “I hope you can enjoy watching the series during the year end, forget about reality and have a great time,” he says. “As a creator, there would be no greater reward than that.

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2024-12-20 16:07