All to PLAY FOR...

Squid Game creator HWANG DONG-HYUK on the final chapter of his global hit

- ELAINE REILLY

SQUID GAME NEW FROM FRIDAY 27 JUNE, NETFLIX THRILLER

With its vibrant aesthetic, lethal children's games and unexpected twists, South Korean survival thriller Squid Game immediately captured the imagination of viewers when it arrived on Netflix in September 2021.

Now, the much-anticipated third and final series lands. It comprises six new episodes penned by creator Hwang Dong-hyuk, who hopes devotees will embrace the last chapter in his dystopian story exploring social inequality and man's inhumanity to man with the same enthusiasm as they have with previous outings.

'I poured over six years of my life into Squid Game, not counting when I first wrote the original script, more than a decade ago,' shares writer and director Hwang, 54, who dreamt up the nightmarish premise of an underworld contest with deadly versions of simple games, and pitting penniless competitors against each other for the chance to win an enormous cash prize.

'Now that filming is over, I'm going to miss the sets - the dorm with the towing bunk beds that made me nervous, the maze-like stairs where I kept getting lost, and the game arenas. I hope this third season will satisfy the fans; all around the world they've shown incredible love and support, and I'm truly excited by their reactions.'

THE GAME UNFOLDS

Hope spread through the first series after protagonist Seong Gi-hun (played by Lee Jung-jae), clad in his now-iconic green Player 456 tracksuit, beat fellow contestants - including some dearly acquired friends - in the Squid Game arena and vowed to use his KRW45.6 billion prize winnings to hunt down the masterminds of the cruel competition.

The second run, which aired in 2024, followed Gi-hun as he became locked in a tense battle with the event's shadowy game-runner, Front Man (Lee Byung-hun), and entered the game again with plans to upend the system from within.