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In the latest instalment of the CNN Film School series, CNN meets Hwang Dong-hyuk, the writer and director behind the global Netflix phenomenon Squid Game. (We review Squid Game here)
Released in September, Squid Game - a show about 456 debt-ridden contestants battling it out in a deadly series of children's games - is currently on track to become Netflix's most popular show ever.
According to Hwang, the show's narrative reflects the "competitive society" we live in today.
It is also a personal story. To create his two main characters, Hwang drew from his own life. Not only are they named after his old friends, he also calls them his "inner clones".
He tells CNN Film School producing the show was so intense he lost six teeth because of stress. But it hasn't completely put him off the idea of making a second season. "I feel like I've become BTS. It's as though I've created a Harry Potter or Star Wars franchise," he said. (Watch the full interview on CNN)
Hwang Dong-hyuk, creator of Netflix phenomenon "Squid Game," reveals some facts you may not know about the series:
- Hwang came up with the idea for the series more than ten years ago, but there was no interest. He was told it was "too strange."
- Hwang chose games he played as a child to include in the show, which includes the titular Squid Game.
- Hwang left the series ending open-ended for a reason, with loose ends to explore if he was to make a second season. "There are things I haven't explained," he said.
(Source: CNN)
