The director of ‘The Squid Game’ reveals which game he would excel in

One month after its launch, “Squid Game”became Netflix’s most-watched series, breaking records as the first Korean and foreign-language show to earn a Screen Actors Guild (SAG) nomination.

Building on its unprecedented success, Netflix expanded the franchise with the launch of a reality competition series inspired by the drama, which premiered in November 2023.

Now, the “Squid Game” franchise is gearing up for the long-awaited release of its second season.

Trailers for the second season have confirmed that Gi-hun will once again participate in the deadly competition, and the latest trailer hints at his new role. This time, he seems focused on guiding the contestants to survive and possibly rebel against the game’s organizers. However, your success will depend on your ability to help them overcome their inherent greed.

Gi-hun’s return marks the beginning of a bigger battle, as his fight against those who control the competition is expected to continue in the third and final season.

While promoting the highly anticipated second season, director Hwang spoke with PEOPLE Magazine about the success of the show. He even revealed that he would probably ace the honeycomb challenge. Reflecting on her childhood, she remembered using the same life-saving trick as Seong in Season 1: licking the honeycomb to weaken the outline of the shape and make it easier to remove.

The Honeycomb Challenge (or Dalgona Challenge) is one of the most memorable and intense moments of Season 1 of “The Squid Game,” and appears in Episode 3: “The Umbrella Man.”

Based on a popular South Korean children’s game called ppopgi or dalgona candy, the challenge tasks contestants with carefully carving a shape, such as a circle, triangle, star or umbrella, from a flat, honeycomb-shaped candy. using a small needle. The goal is to eliminate the shape without cracking or breaking the brittle candy, as failure results in elimination, which in the show means death.

The difficulty of the task depends on the shape chosen, with simpler designs, such as the triangle, being easier to carve compared to the intricate umbrella, posing an almost impossible challenge. In one of the show’s highlights, Seong Gi-hun (Player 456) cleverly realizes that licking the back of candy softens it, making it easier to carve the shape without breaking it, a thinking strategy fast that saves his life.

Rooted in South Korea’s street snack culture, the dalgona candy was a nostalgic treat for many children, who would win another free snack or candy if they managed to remove the shape. This cultural reference resonated deeply with Korean audiences, while the tension-filled gameplay captivated international viewers.

Following the show’s release, the honeycomb challenge went viral on social media platforms like TikTok, with fans around the world attempting to recreate the game using homemade dalgona candy.

Hwang revealed to the outlet that the “pressure” to write a second season was “actually immense,” especially since he never thought about doing anything beyond the first.

“I was thinking: Will I really be able to do it? “Will I be able to create or write something that surpasses season 1?” he said. IndieWire. “But once I started writing, and once I got into the story of Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) returning to the games with his own reasons, it was actually a lot better than I thought.”

He added: “I was able to create a story that I felt was more intriguing, create more interesting characters, and also create more original and intriguing games.”

Netflix renewed “Squid Game” in June 2022 and later announced that the series would continue with a third season, solidifying its place as one of the platform’s flagship franchises.

“Along the way, I think that feeling of burden or pressure actually became a source of joy, and I gradually gained confidence that we were creating something that fans of the first season wouldn’t be disappointed with,” he said. Hwang in the middle. . “That said, it was obviously not an easy task. However, I think that with that confidence I was able to approach it with a better approach.”

“Squid Game 2” premieres December 26 on Netflix.