The creator of Squid Game plans to stir the pot all over again with his newly announced feature film, his first since the buzzy series took Netflix by storm. As first reported by Variety, Hwang Dong-hyuk has revealed that his next project is the chillingly titled Killing Old People Club, a film based on the work of famed Italian essayist Umberto Eco.
The catch? Hwang has promised that this new film will be “more violent” than Squid Game. (Because Squid Game wasn’t violent enough?!) While chatting about the project during a session at MipTV with his Squid Game producer Jun Young Jang, the creator said Killing Old People Club will be “another controversial film”—so controversial, in fact, that he joked he’s already planning on hiding from old people following its release.
Though he’s already written a 25-page treatment for the film, Hwang added that he now plans to return to South Korea to finish up the second season of Squid Game. Don’t expect those new episodes anytime soon, though: Hwang says he’s hoping to have the sophomore season ready to go by the end of 2024. Squid Game election party, anyone?
After it debuted on Netflix in September of last year, Squid Game became one of the streamer’s biggest shows, raking in a massive 1.65 billion viewing hours in over 142 million member households worldwide. Shortly after plans for a second season were revealed, the cast went on to snag a few Golden Globe and SAG Awards for their performances.
While Squid Game is by far the creator’s biggest breakthrough, Hwang has been working in the entertainment industry since the early 2000s, with most of his prior work encompassing feature films and shorts. Three of his films, Miss Granny, Silenced, and The Fortress, are currently streaming on Netflix, though none is as violent as Squid Game. And by that metric, they’ll most likely pale in comparison to the gore promised in Killing Old People Club. You have been warned.
