'Squid Game' director says Netflix rejected series 10 years ago

Hwang Dong-hyuk recently talked about the challenges he faced in funding the show after he wrote it in 2008.

‘Squid Game’ may be Netflix's first Korean-language blockbuster to get worldwide buzz and on to becoming the streamer's most-watched show in history, but no one wanted to make it for over a decade. Not even Netflix.

The show creator, writer and director, Hwang Dong-hyuk recently spoke to The Korean Times about the challenges he encountered in funding the blockbuster drama and how it took ten years to get a nod from Netflix.

"After about 12 years, the world has changed into a place where such peculiar, violent survival stories are actually welcomed," Dong-hyuk shared.

ALSO READ: 5 fun facts you should know about Netflix's 'Squid Game'

Originally titled 'Round Six' the project got greenlighted by the streaming platform in 2019.

Dong-hyuk reportedly came up with the story in 2008 while living with his mother and grandmother but with no one interested and job scarce, he was compelled to sell his laptop for $675, thereby halting the script's development.

The nine-episode series has garnered quite the buzz since it premiered in September. Recently it was reported that South Korea was suing Netflix owing to the streamer causing a traffic surge.