Squid Game Creator Developing Satire About Popularity Of Squid Game, Because Why Not
Despite the fact that everyone and their mom has been pestering "Squid Game" writer, director, and creator Hwang Dong-hyuk about getting a second season of the hit show on screen as soon as humanly possible, Hwang can't help but make alternate plans. But if it makes you feel any better, this one is related to "Squid Game," in a meta-fiction sort of way. Per Deadline, this latest upcoming project is a satire about the creation of, you guessed it, his explosively popular Netflix series, "Squid Game."
Welcome to the meta-verse, folks. While it's still in the early stages of development, the series is currently titled, "The Best Show on the Planet."
They say "write what you know," and Hwang Dong-hyuk is clearly taking that lesson to heart. Hopefully, that wasn't literally the case for "Squid Game," lest we have to track down the hundreds of people murdered for being bad at Red Light, Green Light, but with this new show, the writer is clearly drawing on personal experience. "Squid Game" became a global hit overnight, breaking Netflix records so quickly that it knocked "Bridgerton" off its period-romance throne and became the streamer's biggest series last year. Hwang didn't share many details about the project, except that it would reflect on this overnight success, "based on his personal experience of being thrust into the limelight."
Just in case the horrors of a dystopian game show weren't enough to scar everyone for life, now they'll have to stare down the satirical repercussions of their binging habits!
What's next from Hwang Dong-hyuk?
A couple of months ago, Hwang Dong-hyuk made a joke about writing HoYeon Jung back into "Squid Game" by giving her character a twin sister. This begs the question — is "The Best Show on the Planet" just an elaborate scheme to pull the original cast back together? They can all reprise their roles in a fictional version of the series and also play the fictional versions of themselves!
Okay, fine, there's no way to know if this is actually what the series will look like. Hwang was scarce on details and the story itself is still in its infancy, but a show about a show presents infinite possibilities — especially given the promise of satire. But like the second season of "Squid Game," it'll be a while before audiences get to unravel this new mystery.
Hwang Dong-hyuk has quite a lot on his plate. "Squid Game" isn't expected to return until the end of 2023 or in 2024, but Hwang is still in the process of writing the scripts. He told Deadline that much of his mental energy is being spent on preparations, and developing new games and characters. Hwang also hinted at the pressure that the first season's success has created:
"Season 1's success has given me an immense amount of pressure and I am having nightmares about the reception for season 2 not being so good."
Geez, no wonder he's funneling that worry into a whole new show. Also in the works is a feature film from Hwang — "Killing Old People Club." This project was described as "another controversial film" and "more violent than 'Squid Game,'" which does not bode well for the old people in question. There's no timeline announced for the film and like "The Best Show on the Planet," it is still in development.