‘Squid Game' Season 3 originally had happy ending: director Hwang Dong-hyuk
SEOUL – '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?'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Vogue Singapore
3 hours ago
- Vogue Singapore
The most alluring beauty moments of Wednesday Season 2 come from the Addams matriarch
Here we woe again. At Nevermore Academy, class is back in session. The school break was longer than it usually is, but nothing works like it should in the world of Wednesday Addams. As we'll have it, our favourite chaos crew of Outcasts have come back for more mayhem and mystery, bringing back its returning rotation of characters, amid new additions. For Season 2 of Wednesday, Tim Burton expands his imaginary world, bringing back his seminal cast, of Jenna Ortega, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Luis Guizmán, Emma Myers and Hunter Doohan—so we can all expect bloodletting hours ahead as we binge through the first four episodes of the second season. To bring the full fantasy to life, a few facets have fallen into place. Like the incredible set of Nevermore, the eccentric characters and various types of species, and of course, the brilliant costuming and signature makeovers that have been done to transform the cast into their on-screen characters. Take Enid for example, which sees Myers adopt her signature rainbow-hued palette, but this time with a little more spunk and confidence—a showcase of how she's grown into her own after finally being able to 'wolf out' towards the ending of Season 1. Then there's Bianca high-shine pout, one she definitely carries from the first season, all the way through. Yet it is the matriarchs of the Addams family that have really stolen our attention. There's new face Joanna Lumley who plays Wednesday's grandmother Hester Frump, a mortuary mogul with just the right amount of gothic sass—in part delivered through her wispy, towering updo. Then there is Morticia Addams herself; a divine soul of the shadows, with her sleek, lengthy black tresses, stark dove-like mien and vampy lips. Behold, some of the best beauty looks from Wednesday Season 2 so far. Courtesy of Netflix 1 / 8 The queen of shadows Morticia Addams will reign. Her silky black tresses set against those utterly defined cheekbones casts her in a regality like no other. Courtesy of Netflix 2 / 8 Summer glow-up Post-school break and wolf camp, Enid returns to Nevermore that much more assured. That vivacious personality is going nowhere, and her signature rainbow-streaked blonde mane returns with a little more curls and bounce in them. Between her colourful manicure do and her inner eye corners enlivened with a magenta hue, there's nothing that's stopping her from being Wednesday's ultimate side-kick again. Courtesy of Netflix 3 / 8 A throne of gray The real besties of the show? Wednesday Addams and her grandmother, Hester Frump. Bonding with Wednesday over all things morbid and macabre, she is the very epitome of Outcast wisdom, wearing her years in a wispy, gravity-defying mane—pulled back and sculpted to reveal her own signature lip, a darker matted plum compared to the sharp, vampy lip of her own daughter, Morticia. Courtesy of Netflix 4 / 8 Like mother, like daughter As she watches over her daughter, Morticia takes on the idea of camping out in the woods in style, bringing out her own brand of gothic. Top hat in tow, she pairs her motherly countenance with a pair of braids, much like the one that's become a signature of her daughter's. Courtesy of Netflix 5 / 8 The darkness awaits As for the star of the show? Still allergic to most colours, she defines her eye line with dark shadows and wears a deep purple pout—still a far way from her own mother's defined hue. Courtesy of Netflix 6 / 8 Hypnotic siren Bianca Barclay is still very much in the know when it comes to what goes down at Nevermore, and the siren shows exactly how she can enchant the crowd with her signature blue eyes and high-shine pout. Courtesy of Netflix 7 / 8 Vampy close-up Her sharp vampy lip a stark contrast to her pale mien, it's her dark shadows that really steal the show, with her lengthy, volumised lashes. Courtesy of Netflix 8 / 8 Not quite an Addams Wednesday has some major fans (and stalkers) ever since saving Nevermore, and Agnes wears it on her sleeve with her copycat braids. Yet her micro bangs are an auto tell, as she keeps the rest of her countenance kept minimal and natural.
Asia News Network
2 days ago
- Asia News Network
Which Korean books are winning over readers abroad?
August 7, 2025 SEOUL – Sales of Korean literature abroad more than doubled in 2024, driven by a wave of international enthusiasm and a historic Nobel Prize win by Han Kang, according to new data released by the Literature Translation Institute of Korea (LTI Korea) on Wednesday. Books supported by LTI Korea's translation and publication grants sold about 1.2 million copies abroad last year, a jump of more than 130 percent from 520,000 in 2023. The survey also showed that between 2020 and 2024, 942 titles across 40 languages sold a cumulative 2.68 million copies — up 730,000 from the previous five-year period (2019-2023). Both the number of titles released and overall sales soared in 2024. The average number of copies sold per book hit a record high of 1,271, with 45 titles surpassing 5,000 copies and 24 exceeding 10,000. Among the bestsellers were Han Kang's 'Greek Lessons' (English), Kim Ji-yun's 'Yeonnam-dong's Smiley Laundromat' (English), Park So-young's 'Snowglobe' (English), Lee Mi-ye's 'The Dallergut Dream Department Store' (French), Kim Ho-yeon's 'The Second Chance Convenience Store' (German) and Son Won-pyung's 'The Majestic Fox Tail' (Russian). Several titles have established themselves as steady sellers, including Bora Chung's 'Cursed Bunny' (English), Park Sang-young's 'Love in the Big City' (English) and Cho Nam-ju's 'Kim Ji-young, Born 1982' (German), each selling more than 4,000 copies annually for three consecutive years. Healing fiction continued to show strong growth in overseas markets. Korean runaway bestsellers like 'The Second Chance Convenience Store,' 'The Dallergut Dream Department Store' and 'Marigold Mind Laundry' have steadily built wide readerships abroad, said an LTI Korea official. In Turkey, 'Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop' sold over 80,000 copies in 2024 alone, while in Poland, over 20,000 copies of 'The Second Chance Convenience Store' were sold. Genre literature also made gains. The German edition of the first book in Lee Yeong-do's 'Bird That Drinks Tears' series sold more than 20,000 copies, while Keum Suk Gendry-Kim's graphic novel 'Grass' (Spanish) has surpassed 10,000 annual sales for three years running. Han's Nobel win in 2024 proved a decisive catalyst for Korean literature's global reach, according to LTI Korea. Han's works, translated into 28 languages and published in 77 editions with LTI Korea support, sold approximately 310,000 copies last year alone. Interest extended beyond her latest releases: Annual overseas sales of her pre-2023 titles jumped fivefold, from about 30,000 copies in 2023 to 150,000 in 2024.
Business Times
2 days ago
- Business Times
The Sungold also rises: America's great tomato debate
THERE is a small sandwich – three bites, give or take – available as an add-on to the four-course, US$85 tasting menu at River Twice, a contemporary American restaurant in Philadelphia. To make it, chef-owner Randy Rucker toasts two sourdough brioche slices, then adds a thin layer of applewood-smoked mayonnaise and a crispy sheet of the Korean seaweed gamtae. At its heart is a thick slab of heirloom tomato, lightly seasoned with sea salt from Delaware. Even though it's loaded with more than US$50 worth of caviar, Rucker calls it 'the tomato sandwich'. How is it that such a sandwich is not named for its flashiest ingredient? That, Rucker says, is the star power of the perfect summer tomato. Juicy, sweet, acidic, savoury – biting into one can feel like ingesting an entire season in a mouthful. Let there be no doubt, 'this is a tomato sandwich with caviar, not a caviar sandwich with tomato', he says. Great heirloom tomatoes inspire obsession among chefs for their fleeting natures, colourful backstories and range of flavours. PHOTO: AFP Great heirloom tomatoes have a way of demanding the spotlight, and not just on the plate. These divas inspire obsession among chefs for their fleeting natures, colourful backstories and range of flavours. But because they're bred for flavour above all else, they're divas on the farm too: finicky to grow, less resistant to disease and more likely to crack or bruise in transport. A NEWSLETTER FOR YOU Friday, 2 pm Lifestyle Our picks of the latest dining, travel and leisure options to treat yourself. Sign Up Sign Up For all of that trouble and taste, they command a premium price. This year's early arrivals at one of New York's top tomato destinations, the Norwich Meadows Farm stand at the Union Square Greenmarket, retailed for nearly US$9 a pound. A single, large specimen could cost more than US$20, a price that can leave some customers sputtering, according to owner Zaid Kurdieh. Others, he says, 'don't bat an eye'. Even if imported tomatoes were free – and they're not, especially since commodity tomatoes from Mexico are now subject to a 17 per cent tariff – they're no substitute for the locally grown, unique varieties chefs crave. Commodity tomatoes from Mexico, such as the kidney tomato (pictured), are subject to a 17 per cent tariff in the US. PHOTO: AFP 'Everybody has to be a step ahead,' says Brant Shapiro, the director of sales and marketing for Norwich Meadows Farm. For some chefs, he adds, only the smoky-sweet taste and dusky red, verging-into-black colouring of a Paul Robeson tomato (a Russian variety named for the singer and political activist) will do. 'It's something more special on the menu.' Rare breeds Sometimes the best way to stay ahead in the summer tomato arms race is to grow your own variety. At Blackberry Farm, a rural retreat in Walland, Tennessee, stays begin at US$1,545 per night, including meals. Cassidee Dabney, executive chef at the property's The Barn restaurant, takes particular pride in the Hazel Scott tomatoes grown a two-minute walk from the kitchen. Consider it a destination tomato. You're unlikely to find it anywhere else. The variety came to Dabney's attention in 2013 when a neighbour (Hazel, from Scott, Arkansas, hence the name) gave a bag of her family's breed to the chef's parents. On the outside, it was round and red: a tomato emoji personified. But on the inside, 'it had next to no seeds in it', Dabney says. 'It was the most bizarre-looking tomato ever,' she recalls. The taste was the perfect blend of sweet and acid, 'meaty and versatile'. While the tomato is perfectly at home between slices of soft white bread with a slathering of Duke's mayonnaise, Dabney makes it the focal point of a salad with Jimmy Nardello peppers, hibiscus, blue grits, along with pickled onions and buttermilk aioli, both of which are smoked. A cut above It's often said that a great tomato needs little more than slicing and salting. There's more to it than that, says Dan Richer, chef-owner of Razza in Jersey City, where summer means margarita pizzas made with freshly milled tomatoes. 'The texture that the tomatoes have because they haven't been previously cooked is ethereal,' Richer says. Also at Razza is a salad that inspires Richer to get almost philosophical about tomato butchery. 'The way I cut a brandywine tomato is completely different from the way I cut a green zebra tomato. We have to look at that individual tomato and say, 'Where should we cut this tomato so that it retains its sense of self?'' Another chef focused on a tomato's path to self-actualisation through sympathetic slicing is Michael Anthony. Over his nearly two decades at Gramercy Tavern, he's become a seminal figure in New York's market-driven dining scene; now he's also chef-partner for dining at the Waldorf Astoria New York. 'Some dishes are amazing when the tomatoes are cut paper-thin and just barely perceptible on your tongue, and others are just great when you can barely fit in your mouth in one bite,' he says. The meaty heirloom tomato slices that adorn the lunchtime BLT at Lex Yard are necessarily closer to the latter category. For the 'B', Anthony uses intensely smoky, salty Benton's bacon. 'The bacon can almost steal the show,' he says about his sandwich, which also includes crisp gem lettuce, spicy aioli and house-baked Italian sourdough. 'You need a thick, juicy tomato to live up to it.' Heir to the heirloom Beloved as heirloom tomatoes are, their uncontested lock on chef ardour 'has kind of peaked', observes Norwich's Kurdieh. Not because they've grown boring, but because 'now there are people out there breeding, taking heirlooms and crossing them to come up with better stuff', he says. 'There's tons of breeders out there that are just going nuts with the next new tomato.' Top among them is the Tokita Seed Company of Saitama, Japan, whose sweet, deeply flavoured orange-yellow Sungold cherry tomatoes have inspired devotion, even from the hardcore heirloom set. 'I never have enough Sungolds,' Kurdieh says. 'It's crazy. I double, and triple (plantings), and I still don't have enough.' The devotion runs deep. Chef Michael King made Sungold the name of his restaurant in the Arlo Hotel in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and features the varietal throughout the menu, notably as the sauce for his signature bucatini dish. Meanwhile, at Cafe Mado, across Brooklyn in Prospect Heights, Sungolds shine when they're cooked on a blisteringly hot charcoal grill before being tossed with arbol chilli, garlic vinegar and chives. Tokita's other breeds are making inroads too. Kurdieh's nominee for the 'next new tomato' is the golf ball-size Sunpeach variety, which he thinks has a more pronounced tomato flavour, compared to the Sungold's tropical fruit notes. At Elements, in Princeton, New Jersey, Sunpeach tomatoes are treated like meat, getting slowly smoked, and glazed in a Kansas City-style barbecue sauce as part of an all-tomato course on the vegetarian tasting menu. Chef Sam Lawrence, of Bridges in New York's Chinatown, emphasises the Sunpeach's more delicate aspects, serving them peeled, glistening and jewel-like on the restaurant's cult-favourite comte tart, and letting their innate flavour shine through. 'Peak season tomatoes means using the right one at the right time for the right thing,' he says. And sometimes, that right thing is dessert. That's where the folks at Caffe Panna, a mini chain of Italian-inspired ice cream and coffee shops started by Halle Meyer, see an opportunity for Sungolds. For one week a year, die-hard fans line up for ice cream sundaes topped with tomatoes, olive oil and saba, a concentrated grape must. Later in the summer, yellow heirlooms will get their time in the spotlight, appearing as a granita. What could be sweeter? BLOOMBERG
