Squid Game creator Hwang Dong-hyuk is working on a new satirical comedy about the creation of his hit Netflix series and the impact of the show’s unprecedented popularity.
According to Deadline, the project is provisionally titled “The Best Show on the Planet,” which is fitting for a show about Squid Game, considering it had the biggest series launch ever on Netflix when it was released last year. Hwang’s satire will reportedly focus on “Squid Game’s overnight success, based on his personal experience of being thrust into the limelight.”
Hwang stressed that the satirical comedy is in the very early stages of development and that he is still busy plotting the second season of Squid Game. He confirmed in November that the South Korean drama would be back with more Gi-hun adventures, and he has since told Deadline that they are targeting a Halloween 2024 Netflix launch for the new series.
In the same interview, Hwang said he is feeling an “immense amount of pressure” to create a follow-up season after the success of the last one. The production of the first season caused him to lose six teeth to stress, and Hwang is clearly feeling the heat again as he admitted that he’s been “having nightmares about the reception for Season 2 not being so good.”
There’s no sign of things slowing down for Hwang either, as the filmmaker previously revealed that he’s already in talks with Netflix about a third season of Squid Game to further expand the universe he’s created. Hwang is also currently working on a film called Killing Old People Club, which is an adaptation of a novel by Italian essayist Umberto Eco.
Squid Game was one of last year’s breakout streaming hits and IGN’s best television show of 2021, reaching a “mind-boggling” 214 million subscribers worldwide. The series depicts a “candy-coated” battle royale in which hundreds of cash-strapped players accepted a strange invitation to compete in various children’s games — with deadly high stakes.
IGN awarded Squid Game a 9 out of 10, calling it “one of the most exciting series to hit Netflix in some time.” We praised the way it unravels the story to deliver “a white-knuckle thriller, drama, and episodic psychological breakdown with a sickly pastel veneer,” which is “equal parts gut-wrenching and squirm-inducing” for both the players and the audience.
Adele Ankers-Range is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow her on Twitter.