'Squid Game' creator reveals being rejected by several studios

Hwang Dong-hyuk, who had written the script over ten years ago, was told his show was too 'brutal' to be aired

The hit Netflix series Squid Game from South Korea has taken over the streaming giant's spot as one of the biggest shows of all time. The 'grotesque' game show had gone viral across the world and online by morphing childhood games popular before the digital era such as “Red Light, Green Light” into deadly survival challenges.

The horror series has shot to popularity since premiering on Sept 17, becoming the first Korean drama to snatch the top spot on Netflix in the United States. It could become its most popular show yet globally, the company’s Co-Chief Executive Ted Sarandos had said earlier. “We did not see that coming, in terms of its global popularity,” he said.

But did you know, the initial idea of the Netflix hit series was presented by its maker over a decade ago? According to Wall Street Journal, Squid Game creator Hwang Dong-hyuk was told his show was too 'brutal' to be aired. Even though he had written the script for the show over ten years ago, he was rejected by a number of studios. But two years ago, Netflix thought the class struggles outlined in the show spoke to reality.

After the pandemic hit last year, Hwang said the show made more sense now. “The world has changed,” he told the publication. “All of these points made the story very realistic for people compared to a decade ago.”

South Korea, Asia’s fourth-largest economy, has established itself as a global entertainment hub with its vibrant pop culture, including the seven-member boy band BTS and movies such as Oscar winners “Parasite,” a satire about class and society, and “Minari,” about a Korean immigrant family in the United States.

The fame of “Squid Game” has transferred to the so-called metaverse, or digital world where people move and communicate in virtual environments.

Thousands of global users have been playing “Red Light, Green Light” in several game rooms dubbed “Squid Game” on Roblox, a California-based maker of popular online video game platforms. The rooms emulate several film sets and let users sign up for a “Red Light, Green Light” game.

On Twitter, the hashtags “SquidGame” and “RedLightGreenLight” were trending and reviews of the Roblox games have inundated YouTube and other social media. Venues outside the virtual world are also capitalising on the show’s popularity.

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