‘Squid Recreation’ Director Reveals Which Recreation He’d Excel At

Inside a month of its launch, “Squid Recreation”turned Netflix’s most-watched sequence, breaking information as the primary Korean and foreign-language present to earn a Display screen Actors Guild (SAG) nomination.

Using the wave of its unprecedented success, Netflix expanded the franchise by launching a actuality competitors sequence impressed by the drama, which premiered in November 2023.

Now, the “Squid Recreation” franchise is gearing up for the extremely anticipated launch of its second season.

Season two teasers have confirmed that Gi-hun will re-enter the lethal competitors, and the most recent trailer hints at his new position. This time, he appears targeted on guiding contestants to outlive and probably stand up towards the sport’s organizers. Nevertheless, his success will rely on his potential to assist them overcome their inherent greed.

Gi-hun’s return marks the beginning of a bigger battle, as his combat towards these controlling the competitors is anticipated to proceed into the third and remaining season.

As he promotes the extremely anticipated second season, director Hwang spoke to PEOPLE Journal in regards to the success of the present. He even revealed that he would possible excel on the honeycomb problem. Reflecting on his childhood, he recalled utilizing the identical lifesaving trick as Seong in Season 1—licking the honeycomb to weaken the define of the form, making it simpler to take away.

The Honeycomb Problem (or Dalgona Problem) is among the most memorable and intense moments from “Squid Recreation” Season 1, showing in Episode 3: “The Man with the Umbrella.”

Primarily based on a preferred South Korean childhood recreation referred to as ppopgi or dalgona sweet, the problem duties contestants with fastidiously carving out a form—resembling a circle, triangle, star, or umbrella—from a flat honeycomb sweet utilizing a small needle. The aim is to take away the form with out cracking or breaking the brittle sweet, as failure ends in elimination, which within the present means dying.

The issue of the duty will depend on the chosen form, with easier designs just like the triangle being simpler to carve in comparison with the intricate umbrella, which poses an virtually inconceivable problem. In one of many present’s standout moments, Seong Gi-hun (Participant 456) cleverly realizes that licking the again of the sweet softens it, making it simpler to carve out the form with out breaking it, a quick-thinking technique that saves his life.

Rooted in South Korea’s avenue snack tradition, dalgona sweet was a nostalgic deal with for a lot of youngsters, who would win one other snack or free sweet in the event that they efficiently eliminated the form. This cultural reference resonated deeply with Korean audiences, whereas the tension-filled recreation captivated worldwide viewers.

Following the present’s launch, the honeycomb problem went viral on social media platforms like TikTok, with followers worldwide making an attempt to recreate the sport utilizing do-it-yourself dalgona sweet.

Hwang revealed to the outlet that the “strain” to write a second season was “certainly immense,” particularly since he by no means considered doing something previous the primary.

“I used to be considering to myself: will I actually have the ability to pull this off? Will I have the ability to create or write one thing that might exceed Season 1?” he advised IndieWire. “However as soon as I acquired to writing, and as soon as I acquired into the story of Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) returning to the video games together with his personal motives, it truly went quite a bit higher than I assumed it might.”

He added, “I used to be in a position to create a narrative that I felt was extra intriguing, give you extra fascinating characters and give you extra authentic and intriguing video games as effectively.”

Netflix renewed “Squid Recreation” in June 2022 and later introduced that the sequence would proceed with a 3rd season, solidifying its place as one of many platform’s flagship franchises.

“Alongside the way in which, I feel that sense of burden or strain truly turned into a supply of pleasure, and I steadily gained the boldness that we have been creating one thing that the followers of the primary season wouldn’t be dissatisfied with,” Hwang advised the outlet. “Having mentioned that, it was clearly no simple feat. Nevertheless, I feel with that confidence, I used to be ready to enter it with a greater strategy.”

“Squid Recreation 2” premieres December 26 on Netflix.