Trust the creator of “Squid game» so as not to bend under pressure.

Writer and director Hwang Dong-hyuk spent almost a decade on the story that would become season 1 of its Netflix dramatic, but once the series became a smash hit, there were immediate and enthusiastic calls for more. Suddenly, he was ready to write and produce not one, but two additional seasons of “Squid Game” in record time compared to their predecessor.

“Because I created season 1 without thinking much about making the second season, when it was decided that we would make season 2, the pressure was indeed immense,” director Hwang told IndieWire via a translator then that he was doing press for “Squid Game 2.” “I was thinking: can I really achieve this? Will I be able to create or write something that would surpass season 1? But once I started writing, and once I got into the story of Gi-hun’s (Lee Jung-jae) return to games with his own motivations, it actually went much better than I thought. I was able to create a story that I found more intriguing, come up with more interesting characters, and also come up with more original and intriguing games.

“Along the way, I think that feeling of burden or pressure turned into a source of joy, and I gradually gained confidence that we were creating something that would not disappoint fans of the first season” , he added. “That said, it was obviously not an easy task. However, I think with this confidence I was able to approach the subject with a better approach.

The trailer for season 2 depicts Gi-hun returning to the games, but using his experience to help others better survive the deadly challenges ahead. Yet even with its warnings of certain doom, many other players want to take the risk and try their luck at winning billions.

Hwang told IndieWire that working on Season 2 at the same time as the third and final season (due in late 2025) informed his writing process and shaped the story differently than the time taken in between.

“I wrote seasons 2 and 3 at the same time… and throughout the storyline, there’s a turning point that happens, and that leads to a different series of events, and also leads to a significant change in character,” Hwang said. . “Relatively speaking, the end of season 2 came to me quite early. However, the end of season 3 actually went in a different direction than I had originally intended. As I was working on the story and the script, I saw this new path that I wanted to take, and so the ending of Season 3 really changed during the process of creating Season 2.”

“Squid Game 2” premieres on December 26 on Netflix.