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'Squid Game' Director Hwang Dong-hyuk Teases New 'Controversial Film' That He Is Working On

Hwang is calling the new film 'Killing Old People Club,' currently with the working title 'K.O. Club.'

Source: Getty Images/Vivien Killilea / Stringer

Hwang Dong-hyuk gave us Squid Game last year, a South Korean series that made history. Fans of the show have been eagerly waiting for whatever is in store from the director and he has revealed a new project that is in the works. While it's not the second season of Squid Game, it promises to be just as intriguing and thought-provoking.

Source: Instagram/Hwang Dong-Hyuk

Speaking during a session at MipTV along with his producer Jun-Young Jang at February Films, Hwang revealed that he has been working on a new film, Killing Old People Club, currently with the working title K.O. Club. The film is inspired by the works of Umberto Eco, the Italian philosopher, political and social commentator, and essayist. He has already penned a 25-page treatment about the project, as per Variety. He says it will be "another controversial film."



 

“It will be more violent than Squid Game,” Hwang said of his film. He also added that he might have to hide from old people once the film comes out. One Twitter user offered an explanation about what the central theme of the film could entail. Referring to the widespread fear in South Korea, and to some extent in Japan as well, the user stated: "Everyone laughs at "fan death" the Korean folk belief that fans can somehow asphyxiate people if left on but my ex-fiancée told me it was cover for the fact that a lot of old people and alcoholics die from social neglect during hot summers and "fan death" is a way deflect blame."



 

The user went on to add, "Grandma died in a tiny apartment alone and all they found was a fan pointed at her and to say that her family and society at large forgot her to chase economic growth and she was too ashamed culturally to ask for help is damning so, the fan did it, and fans in SK have timers." While this may or may not be what Hwang is working on, the Twitter user offered a morbid cultural belief to think about.

Oh Il-Nam

The director also shared that he will start working on the second season of Squid Game with the goal to have it ready for streaming on Netflix by the end of 2024. He is currently in America where he met Steven Spielberg who was all praise for his work. "Steven Spielberg told me ‘I watched your whole show in three days and now I want to steal your brain!'” Hwang shared about the conversation they had at the AFI Awards Luncheon last month in Beverly Hills. “It was like the biggest compliment I ever got in my life because he’s my film hero. I grew up watching his movies.”