WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Squid Game, now streaming on Netflix.
Squid Game creator Hwang Dong-hyuk fired back at Lebron James' criticism of the show by invoking James' role in the critically-maligned Space Jam 2: A New Legacy.
Speaking to The Guardian, Hwang responded to the famed NBA player's recent judgement of the popular survival drama Squid Game. While James enjoyed the show as a whole, he said he was dissatisfied with the ending of Season 1, expressing frustration at the final decision made by protagonist Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae). Hwang began his response by implying James wasn't in a place to throw any filmmaking stones, saying, "Have you seen Space Jam 2?"
"LeBron James is cool and can say what he wants. I respect that. I’m very thankful he watched the whole series," Hwang conceded. "But I wouldn’t change my ending. That’s my ending. If he has his own ending that would satisfy him, maybe he could make his own sequel. I’ll check it out and maybe send him a message saying, ‘I liked your whole show, except the ending.'"
James touched on Squid Game at the end of a recent press conference, where he brought up Gi-hun's controversial choice in the closing moments of the show. "I didn't like the ending," said James. "I know it's supposed to start off season two, but get on that fucking flight and see your daughter. What are you doing?"
In the Squid Game finale, Gi-hun survives six deadly games and wins a massive cash prize. While he initially intended to return to his daughter, Gi-hun ultimately feels compelled to track down the operators of the games in the hopes of bringing their deadly operations to an end. Hwang has expressed pride in the ending of the season. The Squid Game creator previously stated the open-ended nature of the finale would provide a good setup for a potential Season 2. He also felt the season's conclusion created a meaningful statement in its own right.
Space-Jam 2 released earlier this year in theaters and on HBO Max. A sequel to the 1996 film, Space Jam: A New Legacy saw James teaming up with Looney Tunes characters like Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck for a high-stakes game of virtual basketball. The sequel failed to score at the box office, netting only a little over $160 million against a production budget of $150 million. Space Jam 2 also received scathing reviews, netting only a 25 percent aggregate critic score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Netflix has yet to announce a Season 2 of Squid Game, but Season 1 has already proven itself a ground-breaking success. Shortly after its release, Squid Game surpassed Bridgerton to become Netflix's most successful series to date.
Source: The Guardian