The director of “Squid Game” reveals the game in which he will excel

Within a month of its issuance, “Squid Game”It became the most-watched series on Netflix, breaking records as the first Korean and foreign-language show to win a Screen Actors Guild (SAG) nomination.

Riding the wave of its unprecedented success, Netflix has expanded the franchise by launching a reality competition series inspired by the drama, which premieres in November 2023.

Now, the “Squid Game” series is gearing up for the highly anticipated release of its second season.

Teasers for Season 2 have confirmed that Ji Hoon will be returning to the deadly competition, and the latest trailer hints at his new role. This time, he seems to be focusing on guiding the contestants to survive and perhaps stand against the game organizers. However, his success will depend on his ability to help them overcome their inherent greed.

Ji Hoon’s return marks the beginning of a bigger battle, as his battle against the competition’s dominators is expected to continue into the third and final season.

While promoting the upcoming second season, Director Hwang spoke out People magazine About the success of the show. He even revealed that he would likely excel in the Honeycomb Challenge. Reflecting on his childhood, he remembers using the same life-saving trick that Seung used in the first season — licking the honeycomb to weaken the outline of the shape, making it easier to remove.

The Honeycomb Challenge (or Dalgona Challenge) is one of the most poignant and memorable moments of the first season of “Squid Game”, shown in Episode 3: “The Man with the Umbrella”.

Based on a popular childhood game in South Korea 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 remove the shape without cracking or breaking the fragile candy, as failure results in removal, which in the show means death.

The difficulty of the task depends on the shape chosen, as simpler designs such as the triangle are easier to carve than a complex canopy, presenting an almost impossible challenge. In one of the show’s iconic moments, Seung Ji-hoon (Player 456) cleverly realizes that licking the back of the candy softens it, making it easier to carve the shape without breaking it, a quick-thinking strategy that saves his life.

Rooted in South Korea’s street snack culture, Dalgona candy was a nostalgia treat for many children, who would win another free snack or candy if they successfully removed the shape. This cultural reference resonated deeply with Korean audiences, while the tension-filled game captivated international viewers.

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

Hwang revealed to the outlet that “pressure” was on him Write a second season It was “really phenomenal”, especially since he had never thought of doing anything after the first one.

“I was thinking to myself: Will I really be able to pull this off? Will I be able to create or write something beyond the first season?” He said IndieWire. “But once I started writing, and once I got into the story of Ji Hoon (Lee Jung Jae) returning to the games with his own motivations, things actually went a lot better than I thought.”

“I was able to create a story that I felt was more interesting, come up with more interesting characters and create more original and interesting games as well,” he added.

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

“Along the way, I think the feeling of burden or pressure actually changed into a source of joy, and I gradually gained confidence that we were making something that fans of the first season wouldn’t be disappointed in,” Hwang said. . “However, it was clearly not easy. However, I think with that confidence, I was able to go into it with a better approach.

Squid Game 2 premieres December 26 on Netflix.