By Ajibola Aminu
Squid Game happens to be Netflix’s first Korean-language blockbuster to get worldwide buzz and become the most-watched show in history, but no one wanted to air it for over a decade, even Netflix.
The show’s creator, writer and director, Hwang Dong-hyuk, recently talked about the challenges he faced in funding the show after he wrote it in 2008.
Hwang Dong-hyuk spoke to The Korean Times about the challenges he encountered in funding the blockbuster drama and how it took ten years to get a nod from Netflix.
“After about 12 years, the world has changed into a place where such peculiar, violent survival stories are actually welcomed,” he said.
Originally titled ‘Round Six’, the project got greenlighted by the streaming platform in 2019.
Dong-hyuk reportedly came up with the story in 2008 while living with his mother and grandmother but with no one interested and job scarcity. He was compelled to sell his laptop for $675, thereby halting the script development.
The nine-episode series has garnered quite the buzz since it premiered in September.
Recently, it was reported that South Korea was suing Netflix owing to the streamer causing a traffic surge.
