Netflix
- The creator of Squid Game couldn’t stop himself from chirping LeBron James after the NBA star said he didn’t like how the show ended
- Hwang Dong-hyuk brought up the poorly-received Space Jam sequel while implying LeBron might not be the best judge of entertainment
- Read more about the hit Netflix series here
After anecdotal evidence suggested Squid Game was well on its way to becoming the most popular original series to ever hit Netflix following its release in September, the company confirmed that was indeed the case after revealing an estimated 111 million people tuned in to see what all the hype was about within the first month of its release.
I personally thought Squid Game was a very solid watch that kept me intrigued and entertained over the course of the nine episodes that comprised its first season. With that said, it wasn’t without its flaws. Plenty of viewers have criticized the over-the-top performance of a certain Sex Number-Loving billionaire and his fellow scenery-chewing VIPs, and a Shyamalanesque twist that was introduced in the finale has also turned out to be fairly divisive.
*A QUICK ASIDE: Based on my experience online, there’s a good chance people will get mad at me for spoiling “Squid Game” by virtue of simply mentioning there is a twist. As a result, if you’re mad about that last paragraph, you’re going to want to stop reading right now, because I’m not done yet.*
When you consider Squid Game creator Hwang Dong-hyuk spent a solid decade shopping around the show’s script (and somehow lost six teeth due to stress-related issues during filming after Netflix picked it up), it’s hard to blame him for ending the first season how he did: a cliffhanger that all but confirms we’ll be treated to a second season where Seong Gi-Hun attempts to track down the people behind the deadly competition he won.
A couple of weeks ago, we learned that LeBron James took issue with that creative decision while discussing it with Anthony Davis.
🚨🚨🚨spoiler alert🚨🚨🚨
LeBron and AD discuss their thoughts on Squid Game and I briefly lose my professionalism pic.twitter.com/HWP1tHi8oK
— Kyle Goon (@kylegoon) October 13, 2021
On Tuesday, Hwang addressed those comments with The Guardian in an article(where he also revealed he hasn’t received any bonus money from Netflix in the wake of the unexpected South Korean hit. If the interviewer put the ball on the tee by bringing up the topic in the first place, it’s safe to say the showrunner blasted it into the stratosphere with the answer by bringing up LeBron’s acting career during his response, 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. 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.’”
Damn; it looks like Player No. 6 has been eliminated.