Skip to main content
Join The Community
- Join our community
11
Premium Benefits
24/7
Access Available
21K+
Active Members
Commenting
Join the discussion
Exclusive Articles Coming Soon
Member-only articles
Weekly Newsletters
Weekly gaming & entertainment news
Member Badges
Earn badges as you go
Exclusive Competitions
Members-only prize draws
Curated Deals Coming Soon
Tech and gaming deals worth grabbing
GET COMMUNITY ACCESS QUICK
For the quickest way to join, simply enter your email below and get access. We will send a confirmation and sign you up to our newsletter to keep you updated on all your gaming news.
By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.
FIND OUT ABOUT OUR MAGAZINE
Want to subscribe to the magazine? Click the button below to find out more information.
Find out more
GET Community ACCESS QUICK

Join the GamesRadar community for quick access. Enter your email below and we'll send confirmation, and sign you up to our newsletter.

By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

Background
Welcome to GamesRADAR+ Community !
Hi ,

Your membership journey starts here.

Keep exploring and earning more as a member.

MY ACCOUNT

Badge picture
Earn your first badge
Read 1 article to unlock your first badge.
Keep earning badges
Explore ways to get more involved as a member.
Latest Games News

Latest Games News

Breaking gaming news and updates

Read Now
Latest Games Reviews

Latest Games Reviews

Expert verdicts on the newest releases

Read Now

See what you’ve unlocked.

Explore your membership benefits.

Explore
Member Exclusives

Stay Ahead with GamesRadar+

Get the biggest gaming news, reviews, and releases straight to your inbox.

Explore

Sign Out
  • TotalFilm
  • Edge
  • Newsarama
  • Retrogamer
GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+
US EditionUS CA EditionCanada UK EditionUK AU EditionAustralia
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Features
  • More
    • PS5
    • Xbox Series X
    • Nintendo Switch
    • Nintendo Switch 2
    • PC
    • Platforms
    • Tabletop Gaming
    • Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Newsletters
    • About us
    • Features
Trending
  • Best Netflix Movies
  • Movie Release Dates
  • Best movies on Disney Plus
  • Best Netflix Shows
Don't miss these
Finn Wolfhard as Mike and Millie Bobby Brown as Eleven in Stranger Things season 5
Sci-Fi Shows New Stranger Things documentary confirms season 5 could have ended very differently
Lee Jung-jae as Gi-hun in Squid Game season 3
Movies Game on: Why we were so obsessed with survival game stories this year, from Squid Game season 3 to The Hunger Games
Sadie Sink as Max and Nell Fisher as Holly Wheeler in Stranger Things season 5 volume 2
Sci-Fi Shows Most Stranger Things fans were expecting multiple major deaths in season 5, but the Duffer Brothers explain why that wasn't going to happen
Jamie Campbell Bower as Vecna in Stranger Things season 5
Sci-Fi Movies Stranger Things nearly saw Vecna switch sides until the Duffer Brothers changed their minds
Millie Bobby Brown as Eleven, David Harbour as Hopper and Linnea Berthelsen as Kali in Stranger Things season 5 volume 2
Sci-Fi Shows Stranger Things creators say [SPOILER's] "selfless" and "heroic" sacrifice was essential to the Netflix show
Justin Theroux as Mr. House in Fallout season 2
Sci-Fi Shows Fallout showrunner says that Mr. House twist still "allows for many players' experiences to have happened"
Jamie Campbell Bower as Vecna in Stranger Things season 5
Supernatural Shows There was a longer version of the Stranger Things season 5 finale, but it wasn't actually written: "You can't get all your ideas in there"
Walton Goggins in Fallout season 2
Sci-Fi Shows Fallout season 2's latest episode suggests the creators may have made a single New Vegas ending canon after all
Millie Bobbie Brown as Eleven in Stranger Things season 5
Sci-Fi Shows Stranger Things fans are divided over season 5's final episode: "[The] finale is a mess… but I’m still happy with it"
Millie Bobby Brown as Eleven in Stranger Things season 5 volume 2
Sci-Fi Shows Stranger Things fans wonder if they'll ever get closure after the finale fails to answer their most burning questions
(L to R) Gaten Matarazzo as Dustin Henderson, Finn Wolfhard as Mike Wheeler, Caleb McLaughlin as Lucas Sinclair, and Noah Schnapp as Will Byers in Stranger Things 5.
Supernatural Shows Stranger Things season 5 finale won't deliver Game of Thrones-level carnage: "We're not trying to upset anyone"
Stranger Things
Sci-Fi Shows Stranger Things' Conformity Gate continues with its wildest theory yet, and it's all about Balatro for some reason
Caleb McLaughlin as Lucas, Sadie Sink as Max, Noah Schnapp as Will, and Gaten Matarazzo as Dustin in Stranger Things season 5
Sci-Fi Shows Stranger Things ends with a beautiful full circle moment that was the plan from the start
Millie Bobby Brown as Eleven, David Harbour as Hopper and Linnea Berthelsen as Kali in Stranger Things season 5 volume 2
Sci-Fi Shows Stranger Things season 5 part 2 ending explained: who dies, what is the Upside Down, and how does it set up the finale
Will Byers and Vecna in Stranger Things season 5
Supernatural Shows Where is the Mind Flayer? What is Vecna really planning with the Abyss, and 6 other questions I need answered in the Stranger Things season 5 finale
  1. Entertainment
  2. TV
  3. Thriller Shows

Squid Game creator reveals alternate ending for Gi-hun

News
By Molly Edwards published 11 November 2021

Squid Game almost had a completely different ending

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Squid Game
(Image credit: Netflix)
  • Facebook
  • X
  • Pinterest
  • Flipboard
  • Email
Share this article
Join the conversation
Follow us
Add us as a preferred source on Google
Get the GamesRadar+ Newsletter

Bringing all the latest movie news, features, and reviews to your inbox


By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

You are now subscribed

Your newsletter sign-up was successful


Join the club

Get full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards.


An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
Subscribe to our newsletter

Squid Game creator Hwang Dong-hyuk has revealed that the Netflix series almost had another ending entirely.

"We actually wrestled between two different scenarios for the ending," Hwang told Entertainment Weekly. "There was one, the other alternate ending, where Gi-hun would get on the plane and leave. And then there was of course the one where he would turn back and walk towards the camera. We constantly asked ourselves, is it really right for Gi-hun to make the decision to leave and go see his family, to pursue his own happiness? Is that the right way for us to really propose the question or the message that we wanted to convey through the series?"

The ending that made it to screen saw Lee Jung-jae's Seong Gi-hun turn away from a flight that would take him to visit his daughter in the US, seemingly to try and take down the brutal games himself. 

You may like
  • Finn Wolfhard as Mike and Millie Bobby Brown as Eleven in Stranger Things season 5 New Stranger Things documentary confirms season 5 could have ended very differently
  • Lee Jung-jae as Gi-hun in Squid Game season 3 Game on: Why we were so obsessed with survival game stories this year, from Squid Game season 3 to The Hunger Games
  • Sadie Sink as Max and Nell Fisher as Holly Wheeler in Stranger Things season 5 volume 2 Most Stranger Things fans were expecting multiple major deaths in season 5, but the Duffer Brothers explain why that wasn't going to happen

"We came to the conclusion that the question that we wanted to propose cannot be done if he left on the plane," Hwang added. "The question that we want to answer – why has the world come to what it is now? – can only be answered or can only be proposed if Gi-hun turned back and walked towards the camera. So that's how we ended up with that ending in the finale."

The ending is a big cliffhanger, but Hwang has confirmed he's thinking up what happens next. "But I will say there will indeed be a second season. It's in my head right now. I'm in the planning process currently," Hwang said recently of a second installment. "But I do think it's too early to say when and how that's going to happen. So I will promise you this: Gi-hun will come back, he will do something for the world."

Could Gi-hun be about to take on the Front Man and the VIPs directly? We'll have to wait and see – there are no further details on season 2 just yet. 

While we wait for more updates, check out our roundup of the best Netflix shows streaming now to fill out your watchlist. 

Sign up for the Total Film Newsletter

Bringing all the latest movie news, features, and reviews to your inbox

By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.
CATEGORIES
Netflix Streaming Services
Molly Edwards
Molly Edwards
Social Links Navigation
Senior Entertainment Writer

I'm a Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, covering all things film and TV for the site's Total Film section. I previously worked on the Disney magazines team at Immediate Media, and also wrote on the CBeebies, MEGA!, and Star Wars Galaxy titles after graduating with a BA in English.

Read more
Finn Wolfhard as Mike and Millie Bobby Brown as Eleven in Stranger Things season 5
Sci-Fi Shows New Stranger Things documentary confirms season 5 could have ended very differently
 
 
Lee Jung-jae as Gi-hun in Squid Game season 3
Movies Game on: Why we were so obsessed with survival game stories this year, from Squid Game season 3 to The Hunger Games
 
 
Sadie Sink as Max and Nell Fisher as Holly Wheeler in Stranger Things season 5 volume 2
Sci-Fi Shows Most Stranger Things fans were expecting multiple major deaths in season 5, but the Duffer Brothers explain why that wasn't going to happen
 
 
Jamie Campbell Bower as Vecna in Stranger Things season 5
Sci-Fi Movies Stranger Things nearly saw Vecna switch sides until the Duffer Brothers changed their minds
 
 
Millie Bobby Brown as Eleven, David Harbour as Hopper and Linnea Berthelsen as Kali in Stranger Things season 5 volume 2
Sci-Fi Shows Stranger Things creators say [SPOILER's] "selfless" and "heroic" sacrifice was essential to the Netflix show
 
 
Justin Theroux as Mr. House in Fallout season 2
Sci-Fi Shows Fallout showrunner says that Mr. House twist still "allows for many players' experiences to have happened"
 
 
Latest in Thriller Shows
Idris Elba as Sam Nelson in Hijack season 2.
Thriller Shows After a plane and a train, Hijack showrunner jokes season 3 could be "on a boat", "on an e-bike", or even "a submarine"
 
 
Yellowjackets season 3
Thriller Shows Yellowjackets star says they want to "stay true to the first season" with the final episodes
 
 
Amy Adams as Anna in Apple TV's Cape Fear
Thriller Shows Apple TV's Cape Fear remake sees Javier Bardem's ex-prisoner plot revenge on Amy Adams in tension-filled first look
 
 
Lost
Thriller Shows Lost and Watchmen showrunner lands new series at HBO, adapting a gripping thriller novel about abduction
 
 
Sophie Nelisse as Shauna in Yellowjackets
Thriller Shows Yellowjackets' Sophie Nelisse teases "bittersweet" final season, as she shares her "redemption" hopes for "cruel" Shauna
 
 
Tim Robinson as Ron Trosper, making a toast
Comedy Shows Tim Robinson's darkly madcap comedy thriller The Chair Company is the perfect antidote to the most overused trope on TV
 
 
Latest in News
Crimson Desert
Open World Games "My dream game": After 7 hours, Palworld publishing lead delivers his Crimson Desert verdict: "This game is made for me"
 
 
Zoomed-in, cropped box art for Pokemon FireRed shows Charizard roaring.
Pokemon "The biggest time save in nearly a decade of Pokemon speedrunning" has been discovered in FireRed
 
 
Marathon Cryo Archive runners looting
FPS Games Marathon's Cryo Archive is locked to weekends partly because you're going to "lose a lot of gear"
 
 
Arc Raiders Queen
Third Person Shooters Arc Raiders devs tortured each other during playtests, juicing Arc into Elden Ring bosses
 
 
A fox shopkeeper has a Lucky Cat figurine on the counter in Piece by Piece
Games Two indie games with the same name accidentally launched days apart, so the devs averted disaster by working together:
 
 
Spider-Man Brand New Day
Marvel Movies Tom Holland compares Jon Bernthal's Punisher to RDJ's Tony Stark in Spider-Man: Brand New Day
 
 
LATEST ARTICLES
  1. Fully painted Legio Custodes warrior on a wooden table
    1
    The new Warhammer Custodes look amazing, but my god, I wish they were easier to build
  2. 2
    3 new to Netflix movies I recommend you watch this weekend (March 21 - March 22)
  3. 3
    "My dream game": After 7 hours, Palworld publishing lead delivers his Crimson Desert verdict: "This game is made for me"
  4. 4
    "The biggest time save in nearly a decade of Pokemon speedrunning" has been discovered in FireRed
  5. 5
    Marathon's Cryo Archive is locked to weekends partly because you're going to "lose a lot of gear"

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google
  • Terms and conditions
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Accessibility statement
  • Careers
  • About us
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us
  • Accessibility Statement

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...