Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

'Squid Game' Creator Once Had To Halt Writing Series Because He Needed To Sell His Laptop For Cash

'Squid Game' Creator Once Had To Halt Writing Series Because He Needed To Sell His Laptop For Cash
Netflix; Han Myung-Gu/WireImage/Getty Images

The Netflix survival showSquid Game has taken the world by storm and is being hailed as possibly the streaming platform's "biggest show ever."

Subtitled in over 30 languages and dubbed in 13, the show also became Korea's first program to rank among Netflix's top trending shows in the U.S.


But the class divide thriller almost never came to fruition.

Its creator, Hwang Dong-hyuk, reportedly had to halt writing the script for the popular dystopian drama because he was forced to sell his laptop for $675 in cash.

Dong-hyuk was living with his mother and grandmother at the time when he first conceived the show.

Before Squid Game's global success, Dong-hyuk's script had been rejected for ten years by several studios because it was deemed "too grotesque " and "unrealistic," according to the Journal report.





All that changed when Netflix picked up the show two years ago.

Dong-hyuk credits COVID-19 for the sudden interest as the pandemic highlighted the socioeconomic disparities between the lower and upper class—a concept reminiscent of another critically-acclaimed import from Korea, the Oscar-winning Best Picture, Parasite.

Dong-Hyuk cited the Journal Report, saying:

"The world has changed. All of these points made the story very realistic for people compared to a decade ago."

The nine-part series is about competitors from all walks of life, all of whom are deeply in debt, competing in a series of children's games but with lethal consequences for a chance to win over a $40 million cash prize.

Since the show's release on September 17, Squid Game hit the number 8 spot on Netflix's Top 10 on September 19.

The next day, it climbed to Number 2 and was at Number 1 by its fourth day on Sept. 21.


More from Trending

3 brothers standing on gray concrete wall
Max Titov on Unsplash

Times Parents' Favoritism Of One Child Came Back To Bite Them

My Father was the golden child in his family. Not just with his Mother, but his Sisters, Aunties, Uncles, Grandparents, Cousins...

It was always odd visiting his family and seeing their adoration of him. He could be selfish and stubborn. Tantrums were a possibility.

Keep ReadingShow less
sign that says "help wanted" on a glass door
Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash

People Explain Which Jobs They'll Never Work Again

In 2024, most adults in the United States will have held a variety of jobs. It's very rare today for a person to get a first job straight out of high school and stay with that company until they retire.

Jobs that were like that were usually in mills or factories—jobs that were shipped outside of the United States.

Keep ReadingShow less
Hand reaching up
Mika Korhonen/Unsplash

People Reveal The Weirdest Things They're Actually Attracted To

We all have that one thing that we're fixated on and may be too embarrassed to reveal, given its oddity.

Whether it's an idea, tangible thing, or that certain je ne sais quoi, they say, about a person, people are deeply attracted to it.

Keep ReadingShow less
Ed Sheeran; JK Rowling
Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images, Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images for Warner Bros.

Ed Sheeran Rips 'Damaging' Reports He Went To JK Rowling's New Year's Eve Party After Backlash

Music artist Ed Sheeran cleared the air after a broadcaster shared a "divisive and damaging" report connecting him to Harry Potter author JK Rowling.

The "Shape of You" singer took to Instagram and denied reports claiming he spent New Year's Eve with Rowling, who has fallen out of favor with fans in recent years for her transphobic comments.

Keep ReadingShow less
Judi Dench
Stuart C. Wilson/Getty Images for BFI

Judi Dench Says She Can No Longer Go Out Alone Due To Degenerative Eye Disease

Actor Dame Judi Dench gave an update to the world about her ongoing vision issues.

Dench appeared on the Fearless podcast by Trinny Woodall and confirmed in a long and lovely interview that she is not able to move around on her own anymore, mainly due to vision loss.

Keep ReadingShow less