Squid Game has been one of the best Korean language shows on Netflix ever since its debut. The twisted reality TV show-esque drama has changed the way Korean dramas are looked at, and their influence has expanded even further across the globe.
However, the series will be coming to an end soon with its third and final season, but Hwang Dong-Hyuk, the mastermind behind Squid Game’s global domination, isn’t ready to close the door on his dystopian universe. In a recent interview, the creator revealed how he plans to expand the universe and unravel even more mysteries to keep the Squid Game world alive.
Hwang Dong-Hyuk’s masterplan to expand the Squid Game universe
Hwang Dong-Hyuk changed the landscape for K-dramas and Netflix when he created the dystopian TV show Squid Game. After two brilliant cliffhanger seasons, the upcoming third season of the show will wrap Seong Gi-hun’s arc. Yet, the creator Hwang has no plans to stop.
Hwang’s knack for blending childhood games with brutal social commentary hooked millions of households in 2021. When the first season was in the works, Hwang revealed they had no idea there would be another season. But now, the creator has plans to expand the universe.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, he revealed he is planning something along the lines of a spin-off:
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? 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.
Well, Hwang is not wrong since the Front Man, Hwang In-ho, a former cop turned game overseer after winning in 2015, and the Recruiter, Gong Yoo’s enigmatic salesman, offer rich backstories. Exploring such interesting storylines will not only deepen the series’ lore but will also allow for the Squid Game universe to extend without disturbing Gi-hun’s arc.
Hwang Dong-Hyuk wants to craft a franchise beyond Gi-hun
The upcoming season of Squid Game will continue to remain focused on the clash between Lee Jung-jae‘s Seong Gi-hun and Lee Byung-hun’s The Front Man. In his interview with The Hollywood Reporter, creator Hwang Dong-Hyuk revealed that the third season will really explore that sense of loss and failure, that guilt weighing so heavily on Gi-hun.
While the final season will bring closure to this story, ending Gi-hun’s tale, the creator has plans to expand the world of his dystopian TV drama beyond Lee Jung-jae’s fan-favorite character.
If I ever wanted to go back to the world of Squid Game, it would be about different characters with a different story arc. For example, the masked guards. How did they end up here? What do they do in their downtime? Something like that, maybe.
Hwang’s plans to create spinoffs could also help spotlight other characters, the masked guards’ origins, or the games’ shadowy creators. While we do not know which route the creator will take next, we can say for certain that his Emmy-winning direction and personal touch will ensure any potential spinoffs will retain the series’ biting critique of capitalism.
By exploring narrative and time gaps as well as characters we still do not know all about, Hwang Dong-Hyuk’s master plan promises a twisted, expansive future for Squid Game.
Squid Game Season 3 will premiere on June 27, only on Netflix.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
