Squid Game Was Almost a Webtoon Series Before It Was Picked Up By Netflix
It turns out that the massively popular Netflix series, Squid Game, could have been a Webtoon series before it ended up being picked up by Netflix. It might be surprising to hear from series creator Hwang Dong-hyuk given just how quick of a massive worldwide success Squid Game became for Netflix since its launch last Fall, but the creator was working on the initial pitch for the series for quite a long time before it became a reality. In fact, in many ways it was hard to get it off the ground before it eventually was picked up as an exclusive for the streaming service.
Hwang Dong-hyuk has gone on record many times in the lead up and following the release of Squid Game on Netflix about how initially rough the process was to tell this particular story as it never seemed like the right time. One way that the creator actually had considered helping it get off the ground was to somehow turn it into a Webtoon series for it to have the better option of becoming a live-action adaptation much like has been seen with the likes of other successes like All of Us Are Dead, Sweet Home, and more.
Speaking with The Playlist, Dong-hyuk first opened up about how the idea for Squid Game was long in the works, but the creator had been waiting for just the right time, "I think I felt like the story was ahead of our time at that time, and I always had this thought that maybe someday when the time comes, when time goes by and times change, maybe this story, this item will be responded to in a different way. And in fact, for the next 10 years, I never once looked back at it, but I always had it with me. And when the time comes, I felt like times were going to be different from 2008 and 2009, and I almost feel like I had this blind faith in this particular story..."
When asked about a potential time he had wanted to shelve the idea, Dong-hyuk revealed that Squid Game was almost a Webtoon series, "...I was actually...looking into creating Squid Game into a Webtoon series, and I thought maybe we'll do a Webtoon first, and if the people like it, we can then move it into a live-action. So around 2018, I read it for the first time in 10 years again, because I was thinking about doing a Webtoon with it." But soon after, Netflix started picking up its worldwide productions in Korea and the rest is history:
"At the time, Netflix was just beginning its business in Korea, and it was a time when global OTT services were really becoming very popular," Hwang Dong-hyuk explained. "And I thought if we were to look at just the Korean market, there would be a lot of limitations, but maybe with the global OTT and to showcase this story to a global audience, that could be a good bet, and I thought it could also lead to greater opportunities. So maybe, just maybe Netflix could be a good home for Squid Game."
As for what's next, Squid Game Season 2 is now in the works but there's no release information for it just yet. But what do you think? Would you have checked out a Webtoon version of Squid Game? Would you be willing to check that out now that a live-action version is available? Let us know all of your thoughts about it in the comments! You can even reach out to me directly about all things animated and other cool stuff @Valdezology on Twitter!