Squid Game creator has ideas for spinoffs: "We can be open to anything”

Squid Game creator Hwang Dong-hyuk has plenty of ideas for spinoff projects, including a show set between seasons 1 and 2.

No Ju-han/Netflix © 2024
No Ju-han/Netflix © 2024

When Squid Game creator Hwang Dong-hyuk wrote season 1 of his hit dystopian drama, he never imagined that he'd release more seasons, never mind spinoff projects. The show was originally intended to last only one year. However, the series quickly became the most popular original show Netflix's history. And after a well-received season 2, the show will conclude later this year with its third and final season. However, that may not be the end of it: potential spinoff projects are very much in the offing!

The premise of Squid Game is pretty simple. It follows a group of cash-strapped individuals who are selected by a mysterious organization to participate in a secret competition on a private island off the coast of South Korea. While there, the contestants take part in a number of classic children's games such as Red Light, Green Light and Tug-of-War. The winner takes home an enormous cash prize. However, the loses are brutally murdered.

In season 2, our protagonist Seong Gi-hun uses his winnings from his first game to try and take down the games as a whole, but ends up participating in another round. In the season finale, he strikes up a rebellion against the organizers, but it's ultimately put down.

Squid Game will wrap up with season 3 later this year, possibly in June. As for what comes after, creator Hwang Dong-hyuk isn't ready to move on from the franchise just yet. “When we were doing season one, I was saying there was never going to be another season,” he told The Hollywood Reporter. “And so if the time comes, and it just so happens that I’m able to come up with a character or a different story, then maybe there might be a comeback. But I’m thinking more along the lines of a spinoff.”

So what would a spinoff project be about? Well, Dong-hyuk has one idea foating around in his head. “One of the ideas I’m tossing around is what happened between season one and two. There’s a three-year gap. So, for example, what was the Front Man doing during those three years? What was the Recruiter doing?" he said. "When I have some downtime, I like to just toss some ideas around and go wild with my imagination. So I guess we can be open to anything.”

Squid Game is already seeing great success outside of the main show. For instance, last year Netflix aired Squid Game: The Challenge, a reality show based on the games (without the killing part, of course). Netflix also released a mobile game, Squid Game: Unleashed, a multiplayer game that allows players to participate in both virtual versions of games from the show as well as new ones.

Do you have any Squid Game spinoff ideas? Tell us in the comments below!

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