After season 3 of "Squid Game" aired, director Hwang Dong Hyuk shared with Joongang Ilbo the script-making process for this hit series.
The director revealed that the final episode of the film had a beautiful ending, pleasing to the audience. In it, Seong Gi Hun (Lee Jung Jae) meets Hwang Jun Ho (played by Wi Ha Jun), ends the game and goes to find a daughter in the US.
However, things have changed after the director witnessed "everything in the world get worse". He said: "As I continued to write the script, I felt that surviving in this world was getting more and more difficult. Increased inequality, the threat of war is growing, the climate crisis has occurred, but no one has to take responsibility.
I heard Jeff Bezos spent more than 70 billion won (about 51.7 million USD) on his wedding and that made me think - wealth is concentrated in the hands of a few people. I think now is the time for previous generations to sacrifice and act for future generations. That's why I decided to include a child in the story."
Director Hwang also emphasized that super-rich characters, world-famous billionaires, are also the image he thought of when forming the plot for Squid Game.
He admitted that there are similarities between the masked VIP characters in the movie "Squid Game" and the Tesla boss - billionaire Elon Musk.
"Elon Musk is everywhere now, everyone talks about him. This billionaire is not only the head of a giant technology company that almost controls the world, but also a figure who knows how to be the center of attention.
After finishing part 3, I also thought, 'Oh, some VIPs in the film are actually a bit like Elon Musk,' director Hwang Dong Hyuk shared with Time.
However, the director affirmed that these villain characters were not built on any real-life models.
These VIP characters were introduced in Squid Game part 1, called VIPS, consisting of a group of wealthy English speakers who watch the matches of the deadly game live.
They are described as carefree and arrogant, betting on the lives of players for entertainment. With Front Man (Lee Byung Hun) and the Phung Song Management, they consider this fierce competition as a sport.
In the third season, some VIPs directly participated in the game by playing the role of bodyguards and killing the eliminated players. Some VIPs remove masks, participate in games and commit homicides, not just looking at the screen as before.
According to director Hwang, "Squid Game" reflects a new reality of global power: "Previously, people who controlled the system and held power were often in hiding, but now that is no longer the case, especially in the US. Technology tycoons can now go public, clearly stating that they will support anyone with their money.
Those who truly control the system and hold power are no longer hidden. They are ready to remove their masks, as if to declare: We are the ones controlling everything."
