Netflix’s Squid Game has gained a lot of popularity and fame among its worldwide audience. It’s not an overnight sensation. It took more than a decade to practically make it possible. But the Hwang Dong-hyuk, the creator, writer, and director of the show has confirmed that it took a lot of time and some fundamental formatting shifts before he would see his vision in Squid Game.

The global phenomenon Squid Game of Netflix had been a full-length feature film if it would be made when Hwang Dong-hyuk got the idea. But, now we can confirm that its nine episodes series is the only way to captivate the audience. It is hard for the fans to even think that so much action and detailing for nine episodes will be captured in a full-length feature film.

An unfortunate inspiration

In 2008, Hwang Dong-hyuk came up with the idea of Squid Game as a film, amid a global economic crisis. According to The Hollywood Reporter, after Hwang failed to sell his scripts, he himself faced a financial crisis. At that time, he was reading some death game manga series like Liar Game and Battle Royale. Hwang Dong-hyuk claims,” I read some stories about these indebted people entering these life-and-death games, and that becomes really immersive for me because I was struggling financially myself. And that got me thinking, “Well, I am a director. Why don’t I just make a movie about this kind of storyline?”

After one year, he finished a script of Squid Game as a film, even many of the characters in the show were after his friends.

https://youtu.be/g31fiiq_Yp4

Red Light

He looked for his set for Squid Game in some Korean studios. But most of them are unrealistic and gruesome. So, Hwang worked on other films like Silenced, Miss Granny, and The Fortress.

But the reality and hardship of the world reflect in Hwang’s work. In this present time, the concept of a brutal game is not absurd. Hwang explains, “It’s a sad story, but 10 years later, the world has become a world where such a ridiculous survival story fits well. When I make it now, people say, “It’s fun. It’s realistic.”

Green Light

Then, Hwang worked on the script of the Squid Game of Netflix, after receiving a green signal. Hwang claims, “A lot of hardships are ingrained in the show- but it then becomes a blockbuster worldwide success.”

Also, Hwang has explained the differences between the film script and the script of the show. In the original film script, he had created 1000 people competing for 10 billion. But the show represents us with 456 people with 456 million, which is also a symbol of the show.

He also gets time to work on the “individual development of the characters”. 

But the massive success of the show has proved the Hwang did the right thing, he stuck to his story.