Chethma De Mel, Jadetimes Staff
C. J. De Mel is a Jadetimes news reporter covering Entertainment News
Hwang Dong-hyuk, the creator of the global-phenomenon Korean drama Squid Game, laughs when asked about reports of having lost six teeth due to stress during filming of the series' first season. "It was actually eight or nine," he corrects as he shoots the highly anticipated second season, pressures are relentless, high stakes both personal and industry challenge.
The enormous popularity of Squid Game-it was one of those rarities that sweeps along audiences with its grim exploration of debt-laden contestants competing in deadly games for a massive cash prize-makes a second season quite dicey. Initially, Hwang was hesitant to further continue the story of the first season, as it had taken enough from him. He finally decided to proceed. Money," he explains, because despite the fact that Squid Game became an instant phenomenon, the bulk of the money was not his to personally pocket. A second season, he continues, will provide further compensation and allow him to provide a proper conclusion to the story.
The first season of Squid Game delighted and traumatized audiences worldwide with its razor-sharp commentary on wealth inequality. Season 2 promises more of the same with new faces, new challenges, and even greater expectations. Hwang says, "The world is further polarized; there is a rise in global conflicts and the crisis of climate change, a higher gap between different generations, genders, and political ideologies." This further fragmented reality will be realized in the next season, where a new premise pushes the players to an onerous choice: continue the deadly contest or survive by opting out. Every game would have taken sides, building factionalism and tension reflective of the danger of tribalism in today's world.
Returning star Lee Jung-jae said his character, Gi-hun, re-enters the game with determination to take it down and save the new contestants. The dormitory where they sleep has a dividing line in the middle, with a gigantic neon X on one side and a blue circle on the other. At the end of each show, the contestants have to determine which one they go to, knowing full well their majority vote decides if this contest does or does not continue. This setup warns of a society polarized by choices in opposition to each other and shows the disputes arising when people are forced into binary divisions.
The storyline of Squid Game has received much great praise; however, many found the violence quite disturbing in season one. Hwang has assured, however, that every act of violence was thoroughly thought about and reflects his immense concern for humanity. During filming, he would always be asking himself whether humanity had what it takes to change course from its path, though he is uncertain of the answer.
Season 2 will explore some of those unanswered questions, including the origin story of the game in itself and who masked game mastermind, called Front Man, is behind the operation of it all. Lee Byung-hun, who portrayed the character, did say that the fans would get more of the frontman's backstory. This deeper dive into his character would not necessarily make him sympathetic but would make the reason behind his decisions understandable to the viewers.
It wasn't easy for Hwang to make Squid Game. He struggled for a decade to get the series made, taking out personal loans to keep himself and his family afloat. Eventually Netflix invested in the show - but Hwang was paid only a modest upfront fee with no share of the estimated £650m in value that the series went on to generate for the streaming platform.
It speaks to a larger frustration on the part of South Korean creators working with streaming services: While platforms like Netflix have given South Korean creators global exposure and investment, many say they feel creatively and financially short-changed. Among other concerns, South Korean creators have expressed worries about losing copyright claims to streaming giants, in effect blocking them from profiting off their successes. Traditionally, they'd be able to rely on box office sales or TV re-runs to share in a project's success, but the new streaming model offers only flat fees and upfront payments.
Meanwhile, South Korean actors, writers, and directors have banded together in a collective to demand copyright reform. Park Hae-young is a writer behind the Netflix show My Liberation Notes. It became the hit she had hoped for, but still, she says, it's bittersweet: "I feel really grateful, but it's actually a pity that there isn't a long-term profit-sharing plan between creators and producers." Many want more robust copyright protections so that creators share in some of the profits.
The South Korean government has acknowledged the need for reform, but has laid responsibility on the industry itself to institute such change. Netflix answered claims it pays competitive compensation, which allows creators to be paid without a contingency on the performance of a project.
That fact, that Hwang has been so candid about his personal pay struggles, may be what changes the industry's ways as his case underlines the inequalities of the system as it is. With the second season coming up, he hopes it gets the discussion rolling once more on reasonable payments and profit distribution.
But reflecting on bringing Squid Game into the world, he seems to concede that physical exhaustion has persisted. "I probably need to pull out a few more teeth soon," he laughs, emphasizing how this breakthrough work is going to keep on yielding its toll.
Squid Game Season 2 arrives on December 26, 2024, on Netflix, marking the beginning of the next chapter of the drama that reshaped the global entertainment landscape.
