As Squid Game finale approaches, a look back at creator Hwang Dong-hyuk's prior work including Silenced,?Miss?Granny

As the Squid Game finale approaches, series creator Hwang Dong-hyuk¡¯s past body of work has garnered increased attention and popularity. This has been the case as early as season 1¡¯s runaway success, with Netflix listing Hwang Dong-hyuk¡¯s past work such as Silenced and Miss Granny on the streaming service after it became clear that Squid Game was turning out to be a smash hit.

Prior to Squid Game¡¯s success, however, Hwang Dong-hyuk had often struggled to get his projects off the ground. In fact, the idea for Squid Game itself came up when he was unsuccessfully trying to pitch a different movie idea. With Squid Game season 3 right around the corner, however, it¡¯s worth revisiting the acclaimed and impactful body of work Hwang Dong-hyuk has been producing for over a decade.

Squid Game creator began his career with My Father and Silenced

Hwang Dong-hyuk began his filmmaking career with a number of short films such as Heaven and Hell and Desperation. He then attracted international attention with 2004¡¯s Miracle Mile, which won the Director¡¯s Guild of America (DGA) Student Award and a Student Emmy Award. Hwang Dong-hyuk¡¯s feature film debut was 2007¡¯s My Father, which focused on the true story of Korean-American Aaron Bates, who went on national television in search of his birth parents, only to discover his biological father was a death row convict.

Hwang Dong-hyuk¡¯s next film, 2011¡¯s Silenced, was based on the real-life sexual abuse scandal involving the Gwangju Inhwa School for the deaf. The school had been subject to a 2005 investigation which implicated the faculty and the principal in the abuse and molestation of their own students. Silenced brought the scandal back into South Korea¡¯s public consciousness and resulting in the reopening of investigations regarding the school, making it among Hwang Dong-hyuk¡¯s most impactful works. The film stars Gong Yoo, who also plays the salesman in Squid Game, and is available for streaming on Netflix.

Hwang Dong-hyuk went on to direct Miss Granny and The Fortress

After the heavy themes explored in My Father and Silenced, Hwang Dong-hyuk went for lighter fare with his next directorial effort, 2014¡¯s Miss Granny. The film¡¯s premise followed a 74-year old woman, who one day regains the appearance of her 20-year old self after a visit to a mysterious photo studio. Speaking at a Koran Film Council press conference for the film, Hwang Dong-hyuk addressed the lighthearted nature of the film by confirming that it was a deliberate creative decision. Miss Granny is available for streaming on Netflix and has been remade in India as 2019¡¯s Telegu release Oh! Baby.

In 2017, Hwang Dong-hyuk directed The Fortress, which was an adaptation of Kim Hoon¡¯s historical fiction novel Namhansanseong. The film follows the real-life Qing dynasty¡¯s invasion of Joseon, and how the embattled King Injo and his retainers sought refuge in the titular fortress. The film stars Lee Byung-hun, who¡¯d go on to play the Front Man in Squid Game.

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