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.
"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.
