If you’ve been online recently, you’ve likely come across images of people in green tracksuits or individuals in pink hoodies with masks displaying simple shapes. This surge in visibility is due to the debut of the South Korean thriller series Squid Game on Netflix last month, which has since captured global attention.
The gripping tale of individuals facing immense financial struggles being drawn into a lethal sequence of childhood games for a chance to win millions has proven to be a massive success for Netflix. The show has broken records for the streaming platform by amassing over 111 million views since its release.
“I never anticipated such success when I first joined Squid Game. But as I read the script, I realized it had elements that could resonate universally and transcend beyond Korea,” shared Lee Jung-jae, who portrays the protagonist Seong Gi-hun in the show, in an interview with Variety.
One compelling reason Lee committed to the project was its writer, Hwang Dong-hyuk, who crafted the script for Squid Game in 2008 and had been seeking a buyer until recently.
Squid Game has officially reached 111 million fans — making it our biggest series launch ever! pic.twitter.com/SW3FJ42Qsn
— Netflix (@netflix) October 12, 2021
“I aimed to create a narrative that serves as an allegory or fable about modern capitalist society, illustrating extreme competition akin to the harsh realities of life. I wanted to depict characters we encounter in real life,” Hwang expressed in a separate interview with Variety. “The survival game serves as both entertainment and human drama. The games featured are straightforward and easy to grasp, allowing viewers to focus on the characters rather than getting lost in deciphering the rules.”
(function() {
var loaded = false;
var loadFB = function() {
if (loaded) return;
loaded = true;
(function (d, s, id) {
var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];
if (d.getElementById(id)) return;
js = d.createElement(s);
js.id = id;
js.src = “//connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js#xfbml=1&version=v3.0”;
fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs);
}(document, ‘script’, ‘facebook-jssdk’));
};
setTimeout(loadFB, 0);
document.body.addEventListener(‘bimberLoadFbSdk’, loadFB);
})();
