Squid Games creator admits he made hardly any money from the first series despite the show being Netflix’s biggest ever hit
Squid Game director and creator Hwang Dong-hyuk has revealed that he made very little money from the first series of the hit Netflix show.
Despite the South Korean drama being the biggest show ever on the streaming platform, Hwang has now said he is excited about the second series, which will hopefully bring in a bigger paycheck.
Speak with Radio timesHwang, who lost his father at a young age, talked about how he “was poor and struggled to make ends meet” growing up.
Laughing when asked about his motivations for making a second series of his hit show, he said: ‘Money! Even though the first season was such a huge worldwide success, I honestly didn’t make much money. So by doing the second season I can compensate for the success of the first.
‘The biggest surprise for me was how far and quickly the show has reached around the world. Even though this is a series that children cannot watch.’
“When I was working on season one, I honestly had no idea if I would be able to do a second one or if there would even be a sequel. And so I started thinking that I would be happy if the story ended with the last scene of season one.”
Squid Game director and creator Hwang Dong-hyuk has revealed that he made no money from the first series of the hit Netflix show
Despite the South Korean drama being the biggest show ever on the streaming platform, Hwang has now said he is excited about the second series, which will hopefully bring in a paycheck.
Hwang added that he has been working “non-stop” to create the second series and make it a huge success like the first.
He added: “Our family was not the most prosperous, to say the least. My mother had to go through a lot to raise her children. And I think I can safely say that I’ve had a lot of experience with being poor and having a hard time making ends meet.”
It comes after Squid Games fans were all on the same page after Netflix dropped the main trailer for season two of the dystopian thriller.
The trailer begins with a new group of players being recruited into the twisted game before the winner of the final Squid Game Seong Gi-hun, played by Lee Jung-jae, appears on screen.
In the back of a car, Gi-hun sits face to face with a gold speaker in the shape of a pig as it creepily asks him, “Player 456. What do you want from me?”
To which he replies, “Put me back in the game.”
As the new game begins, we see the fresh faces of excited new players that are a stark difference from the worn and vengeful face of Gi-hun.
A participant asks Gi-hun why he came back and he tells him, “I’m trying to put an end to this game.”
Speaking to Radio Times, Hwang, who lost his father at a young age, spoke about growing up “being poor and struggling to make ends meet.”
Laughing, he said, “Money! Even though the first season was such a huge worldwide success, I honestly didn’t make much money. So by doing the second season I can compensate for the success of the first.”
It comes after Squid Game fans are all on the same page after Netflix dropped the main trailer for season two of the hit K-drama
He seems to take a leadership role in the game, telling the other players, “Those who created this game… we must fight them.”
Some fans have noticed that a character who was believed to have died in season one has returned.
Jun-ho, played by Wi Ha-jun, was the determined police officer determined to find his brother In-ho and expose the games to the authorities.
He was presumed dead in episode eight when he fell off a cliff after being shot in the shoulder by his brother upon discovering that his missing sibling was in fact the game’s masked Front Man.
However, Jun-ho is seen in the trailer crouching with his gun at the ready in a forest with other officers.
In one eerie clip, he tricks one of the game’s masked henchmen by pretending to be dead, but as the worker checks his pulse, Gi-hun snaps open his eyes.
But fans found one part of the trailer especially “chilling.”
In what seems like the beginning of a powerful uprising, the players chant, “One more game!”
Fans who have been anticipating the second season since the success of the first almost three years ago couldn’t wait to discuss their thoughts on the trailer in the YouTube comments section.
One wrote: ‘The “ONE MORE GAME!” chant gave me chills even after watching the trailer once.
In the back of a car, Gi-hun sits face to face with a gold speaker in the shape of a pig as it creepily asks him, “Player 456. What do you want from me?”
He seems to take a leadership role in the game, telling the other players, “Those who created this game… we must fight them.”
A participant asks Gi-hun why he came back and he tells him, ‘I’m trying to end this game’
As the new game begins, we see the fresh faces of excited new players that are a stark difference from the worn and vengeful face of Gi-hun
Read the full interview in the Radio Times Christmas issue – on sale now
“It made me realize that Gi-hun is a gambling addict and that’s why he was invited to play before, since he was a nobody.
“Now he’s not here because he wants to win the prize, he wants to help the people who were in a similar situation to him.”
A second fan agreed, writing, “The “ONE MORE GAME!” Some of the trailers always give me chills.”
‘Season two is going to be great! I’m so hyped for it,” another commented.
A fourth said: ‘So hyped for a new season of Squid Game! I’m really curious how this will go.
“And it looks like Gi Hun is out to actually stop the entire mysterious organization of the game!
‘We’ll also see a lot more action, which is great! I’m so excited and can’t wait to see it in December! It’s going to be a great time during the Christmas holidays!’
Squid Game Season 2 premieres worldwide on Netflix on December 26.