‘Squid Game’ creator Hwang Dong-hyuk returns with new project
Hwang Dong-hyuk — the writer, creator and director of the worldwide hit “Squid Game” — has set his sights on “The Dealer,” a new series that revolves around the crimes happening in a casino.
Hwang’s new series was revealed by Netflix on Instagram on Wednesday, Jan. 14, while revealing its principal characters in what appears to be a script reading.
The series will be led by Jung So-min, who will be joined by Ryoo Seung-bum, Lee Soo-hyuk and Ryu Kyung-soo.
According to the streaming giant, “The Dealer” tells the story of Gun-hwa, a skilled casino dealer whose wedding preparations fall apart after falling victim to a fraud scheme. She falls back into the “treacherous underworld” of casinos and gambling, despite vowing to leave its world for good.
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Hwang gained worldwide fame as a filmmaker and writer following the mainstream success of “Squid Game” in September 2021. The story was originally conceived sometime in 2009, but he shelved the idea after it was constantly rejected by production companies. The story was eventually picked up by Netflix 10 years later.
“I wanted to write a story that was an allegory or fable about modern capitalist society, something that depicts an extreme competition, somewhat like the extreme competition of life. But I wanted it to use the kind of characters we’ve all met in real life,” he said of the hit series in a 2021 interview with Variety.
“Squid Game” tells the story of Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) who joins the deadly games out of desperation to gain custody of his daughter, after finding out that his ex-wife and her new family are planning to move to the US.
Gi-hun ends up winning the games; however, he comes home to the death of his mother. Years later, he ends up rejoining the “Squid Game” in a desperate search for its Front Man, only to end up sacrificing his life for the baby of a now-dead player. /ra
