The script was finished in 2009

Squid Game director said that development on this project had first begun back in 2008. His first draft of the script was completed by 2009. However, people doubted the concept of the story at that time.

“I was reading a lot of comic books, and I finished the script in 2009. At the time, it seemed very unfamiliar and violent. There were people who thought it was a little too complex and not commercial. I wasn’t able to get enough investment and casting was difficult. I dabbled in it for about a year, but I had to put it to sleep then.” – Hwang Dong-hyuk, Squid Game Director