Squid Gamebecame a smash hit when it debuted on Netflix in 2021 and season 2 continued its unprecedented success, but the project’s original plan means the franchise almost looked a lot different. With the effects of COVID-19 making streaming services more popular than ever,Hwang Dong-hyuk’s thriller series caught everyone by surprise and became one of the most talked-about shows of the year. It looked nearly impossible to follow up the popularity of the first outing, butSquid Gameseason 2 broke Netflix viewership records, making the IP one of the biggest in Netflix’s history.
With two incredible installments in the books,Squid Gameseason 3has been confirmed and will be released in 2025 to conclude the gripping story. Netflix has had plenty of other popular K-dramas over the years likeAll of Us Are DeadandKingdom, but none have reached the heights ofSquid Game. The thriller inspired a game show, earned a collaboration withCall of Duty, and it’s even got an American version being worked on by David Fincher; however, the original plan for the project sounded massively different from what we got, making its journey all the more interesting.
Hwang Dong-hyuk Originally Wrote Squid Game As A Movie
The Popular Netflix Series Was Originally Supposed To Have A More Cinematic Structure
Rather than being a televised story set to span three seasons,Squid Gamewas originally written as a movie, according to its creator, Hwang Dong-hyuk. Despite transitioning seamlessly into a televised setting,Hwang Dong-hyuk revealed in an interview with ScreenRantthat the events of season 1 were originally planned to be a feature film back in 2009 before plans changed around a decade later. Although he was eventually able to adapt the contents into a nine-episode series, Dong-hyuk clearly held on to his movie plans for a long time until finalizing a serialized approach with Netflix.
As for season 1, I wrote the script for it as a feature film in 2009 in the beginning, and that took about eight or nine months for me back then. And then it was later in 2019 when we changed that. I changed the film script to two eight or nine-episode series. So, if I count the sheer time that went into developing the script, it would be over a year.
Considering season 1 ended up having around eight hours of content, it’s hard to imagine what it would have looked like had a studio decided to greenlight the movie version ofSquid Game, but there’s no doubt there would have been some huge changes. With the franchise only getting bigger, a movie adaptation could still happen in the future, and while we may never know how Dong-hyuk’s original vision would have compared to the final product, it’s safe to say the televised format worked perfectly considering the drama andplot twistsSquid Gamemanaged to pull off.
It Took 10 Years For Squid Game To Happen (But As A TV Show)
Hwang Dong-hyuk Persevered With Squid Game & Eventually Made It One Of Netflix’s Biggest Shows
Given Hwang Dong-hyuk wroteSquid Game’s original script in 2009, his admission that plans changed in 2019 shows how long it took for the project to move forward.Dong-hyuk has mentioned previously that studios frequently shot down his plans for a whole decade, but the creator remained resilient, leading to the thriller finally moving forward in the form of a TV show. Although the long process will undoubtedly have been a stressful one for the brain behindSquid Game, transforming into a series has arguably worked out better given its longevity and spinoff potential.
Is Squid Game Season 2 Better Than Season 1?
With all episodes of Squid Game season 2 available to stream on Netflix, debate has begun about how the new season compares to its predecessor.
AlongsideDavid Fincher’s reported AmericanSquid Gameremake, the original series could easily have spinoffs through certain characters or potentially prequels focusing on other games, meaning the franchise potential is endless. A film could arguably have achieved this as well, but season 1 perfectly set up the IP’s future, and with streaming being so popular at the time of its release, Dong-hyuk’s project couldn’t have asked for a better fate.
All the rejections and amendments to the script paid off in the long run, and withSquid Gamebecoming one of the biggest shows of the 2020s, Dong-hyuk made the right decision by not giving up on his thought-provoking story.
The Tone & Pacing Would Likely Have Differed From The Netflix Show
Image via Netflix
HadSquid Gamebeen released as a movie back in the 2010s, it would have looked a lot different to the iconic Netflix show. The biggest difference would have been the project’s length, as even if it was a long feature-length movie totaling around three hours, that’s still less than half of what season 1 provided. The story would presumably have focused mostly on the games, with only a small portion of the action taking place outside the private island. This would have given Gi-hun less development and probably changed the tone slightly given the plot would be more condensed.
The pace would have to be much quicker to pull everything off in one film, meaning the twists and surprises wouldn’t have quite the same impact.
There may also have been fewer games and central characters to focus on, butthe idea of rich VIPs exploiting the poor would almost certainly have remained at the core of the story. Still, the pace would have to be much quicker to pull everything off in one film, meaning the twists and surprises wouldn’t have quite the same impact. A cinematic version ofSquid Gamestill feels realistic and Hwang Dong-hyuk likely had some strong ideas, but with how well the Netflix series turned out, it’s hard to imagine a movie surpassing the version we eventually got.
Squid Game
Squid Game is a South Korean series released in 2021 that follows numerous financially struggling participants who are invited to partake in children’s games with deadly outcomes. As they compete, they vie for a substantial cash prize, all while navigating lethal challenges orchestrated by mysterious figures.
