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Squid Game
Photograph: Courtesy of Netflix

‘Squid Game’s creator talks season 2 and spin-offs

‘I don’t want to make it as a response to people’s reactions’

Written by
Jon Hornbuckle
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The creator of Squid Game has teased details about the upcoming second series of his mega-hit horror show and insists he 

Squid Game sees struggling members of the public compete in deadly versions of playground games to win a life-changing cash prize, or face extermination if they lose.

While the easy option would be to simply do a retread of the first season’s premise, creator Hwang Dong-Hyuk is taking viewers beyond the games and following lead protagonist Seong Gi-hun after the dramatic events of the season one finale.

The director toldThe Hollywood Reporter that he’s trying to avoid letting fan theories influence the script of Squid Game’s second series.

‘I’ve seen many reactions from people about the show, but I don’t want to make season two as a response to those reactions. The philosophies I put in season one all naturally extend to season two,’ the director explained.

‘Instead of trying to meet the expectations of viewers, I just thought about the last moment when Gi-hun turned away from boarding the plane, and I thought about what he will do next… I can’t share any details yet, but you know that Seong-Gi-hun has become a totally new person by the end of season one, so season two is going to be about what that new Gi-hun is going to do and how things will unfold with this new kind of character.’

But before we get too excited at the prospect of more torturous trials and grisly games, the second series isn’t expected to arrive on Netflix until the end of 2023 at the earliest, with a 2024 release date more likely.

Dong-Hyuk went on to say the enormous success of Squid Game is adding to the pressure when writing the follow-up’s script.

‘It would be a total lie if I say that I don’t feel any pressure, because so many people are waiting for season two, and season one was just too successful not to feel pressured by it,’ he told The Hollywood Reporter.

Dong-Hyuk also discussed Netflix’s plans for a Squid Game reality show – without the fatal stakes and fans can expect to be fully immersed.

‘The creators are trying to stay true to the show, so they’re asking us for the diagrams for the set design or the attire to make sure it really resembles the actual Squid Game,’ he explained.

You can play ‘Squid Game’ for real across the UK… and stay alive.

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