'Squid Game' premiered 5 years ago today. Hwang Dong-hyuk first scripted the idea behind 'Squid Game' back in 2008, drawing directly on his own early struggles with debt and South Korea's wider class disparity, but spent over a decade unable to find a studio willing to back something so unconventional. It wasn't until 2019 that Netflix finally took an interest, part of the streamer's broader push to expand its international programming slate, allowing Hwang to finally bring the long-shelved concept to life as writer, director, and creator of the entire nine-episode first season. Starring Lee Jung-jae, Park Hae-soo, Wi Ha-joon, and Jung Ho-yeon, the series follows a group of financially desperate contestants competing in a series of deadly children's games for a massive cash prize, blending childhood nostalgia with high-stakes survival drama. Making the show took a genuine physical toll on Hwang, who has said the stress, poor sleep, and irregular eating during production caused him to...