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

Inside a month of its launch, “Squid Sport”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.

Driving 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 Sport” 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 function. This time, he appears centered on guiding contestants to outlive and presumably stand up in opposition to 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 in opposition to these controlling the competitors is anticipated to proceed into the third and ultimate 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 probably 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 likely one of the most memorable and intense moments from “Squid Sport” Season 1, showing in Episode 3: “The Man with the Umbrella.”

Based mostly on a well-liked South Korean childhood sport referred to as ppopgi or dalgona sweet, the problem duties contestants with fastidiously carving out a form—corresponding to a circle, triangle, star, or umbrella—from a flat honeycomb sweet utilizing a small needle. The purpose is to take away the form with out cracking or breaking the brittle sweet, as failure leads to elimination, which within the present means demise.

The issue of the duty depends upon the chosen form, with easier designs just like the triangle being simpler to carve in comparison with the intricate umbrella, which poses an nearly unattainable 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 kids, 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 sport captivated worldwide viewers.

Following the present’s launch, the honeycomb problem went viral on social media platforms like TikTok, with followers worldwide trying to recreate the sport utilizing selfmade dalgona sweet.

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

“I used to be pondering to myself: will I actually be capable to pull this off? Will I be capable to create or write one thing that will 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 along with his personal motives, it truly went loads higher than I believed it will.”

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

Netflix renewed “Squid Sport” 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 best way, I believe that sense of burden or strain truly become a supply of pleasure, and I step by step gained the boldness that we have been creating one thing that the followers of the primary season wouldn’t be disenchanted with,” Hwang advised the outlet. “Having mentioned that, it was clearly no simple feat. Nevertheless, I believe with that confidence, I used to be ready to enter it with a greater method.”

“Squid Sport 2” premieres December 26 on Netflix.