'Squid Game' Season 3 originally had happy ending: director Hwang Dong-hyuk
"Squid Game,' director Hwang Dong-hyuk's brainchild, wrapped its saga with Season 3, which topped Netflix's global TV charts on FlixPatrol within a day of release on Friday.
But reviews have been divided — some lauding its gripping twists and some criticizing it for falling short of the original's creativity. Much of the backlash also centered on the ending, where Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) dies to save a baby born during the deadly games.
In a surprise twist, Hwang has revealed that the original plan was for the series to conclude on a much more hopeful note.
"When I first started thinking about the second season, I had a vague idea that Gi-hun would return to the game — maybe to destroy it or at least help a few people escape — and then go to see his daughter in the US," Hwang said during a press interview held Monday in Seoul's Samcheong-dong.
"That was the rough storyline I initially had in mind. But as I began seriously writing the project, I asked myself, 'What is the story I truly want to tell?' And that led me to the realization that Gi-hun's journey had to end here."
Hwang emphasized that the show has always served as a reflection of contemporary realities.
"Compared to when I created Season 1, the world has gotten even worse. Economic inequality has deepened, ordinary people's lives have become more difficult and wars continue to escalate with no sign of ending," he said.
"Every year, things seem to grow more serious by the day. But people don't seem to have either the will or the ability to fix it. If things continue this way, the future looks truly bleak. That's a reality I felt needed to be addressed."
He added that Gi-hun's tragic arc was meant to underline those themes, portraying 'the painful journey of someone like Gi-hun, an average or even below-average person.'
In addition to the social message the series relayed, one of the elements that helped define "Squid Game" for viewers worldwide was its use of traditional Korean children's games repurposed into brutal life-or-death challenges.
For Season 3, selecting the right games was not a straightforward task, according to Hwang.
'It may seem like any game could work, but when you actually try to adapt it, it becomes challenging,' he said. 'You have to figure out how players will be eliminated, and there needs to be enough space in the game to allow character dynamics and story to unfold. The rules also must be clear so that the line between failure and success is well defined.'
Some games did not make the cut. Hwang recalled considering the game 'Why did you come to my house?' which relies heavily on rock-paper-scissors and lacks narrative tension. Another idea involved tying players to a conveyor belt in 'Open the Dongdaemun gate,' but he ultimately rejected it due to the excessive randomness and lack of character agency.
One game that did survive development was tag, reimagined as a direct battle-to-the-death between contestants.
'Like the marble game in episode four of Season 1, I wanted the fourth game this time to carry the most emotional weight — a life-or-death moment for the characters. That's why I added the element of killing: to heighten the dramatic tension.'
The finale also featured a surprise appearance by Oscar-winner Cate Blanchett, who plays a recruiter conducting a game of ddakji with new candidates in the US. Hwang said casting Blanchett was a deliberate choice aimed at flipping the script.
'Since the person playing the ddakji game in Korea was a man (Gong Yoo), I thought it would be interesting to have a female character appear at the end in the US,' he said.
'I was thinking, it's such a brief scene, who's the actress who can charismatically command the screen in that short amount of time? She's someone I've always admired, and I thought she was the perfect fit for the role. Our CEO and producers agreed, so we reached out to her.'
The US-based final scene and Blanchett's cameo sparked rumors of an American remake or sequel, but Hwang dismissed the speculation.
As for the future of the franchise, Hwang left the door open for potential spinoffs rather than direct sequels.
'I've already conveyed all the messages I wanted to share in this season, so continuing the main story wouldn't be meaningful,' he noted.
'If anything, it would make more sense to carry on with a spinoff or side story. For example, something like the private lives of the masked figures. Remember the photo found at Captain Park's house with the Front Man? It was just a fun little Easter egg we included, but wouldn't it be interesting to explore what kind of relationship they had and what happened between them?'
yoonseo.3348@heraldcorp.com
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