When and where was Squid Game filmed?

One has to be living under a rock, or be participating in the Game itself, to not be aware of Netflix's latest Korean offering to take the world by storm - Squid Game. The survival show, which is based on Japanese battle royale format, has found immense popularity around the world.

The high-stakes series is about 456 people who, desperate for money, willingly agree to play a series of traditional Korean children's games, with life-threatening penalties for failure. While Squid Game has been critically acclaimed globally, fans have several questions about how this ambitious project was pulled off, especially given the pandemic situation.

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When was Squid Game filmed?

Squid Game has become an overnight hit, finding viewers even in people who have never engaged with Korean cinema or television before. The show, though, had no quick-hatched plans. In an interview with Variety, the writer-director of Squid Game, Hwang Dong-hyuk revealed that the concept for the show, which was initially supposed to be a film, had actually been in the works since 2008.

Hwang claimed to have been inspired by comics like Battle Royale and Liar Game:

"When I started, I was in financial straits myself and spent much time in cafes reading comics including Battle Royale and Liar Game. I came to wonder how I’d feel if I took part in the games myself. But I found the games too complex, and for my own work focused instead on using kids’ games."

It was only in 2019 that Netflix took an interest in the project, which was originally titled Round Six. The casting for Squid Game was finalized in June 2020. While specific dates of the shooting haven't been made clear yet, it evidently took place in the latter half of 2020.

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Squid Game was filmed in the city of Daejeon

While little official information is available about where the show was shot, several sharp fans have deduced that Squid Game was filmed in Daejeon, a city in South Korea. All this courtesy of the cast members' behind the scenes pictures.

Daejeon, which is the fifth-largest city in the country, has a thriving film industry and has been the location for several movies like the cult classic Train to Busan and Mr. Sunshine.

While Squid Game's intricate sets and excessive violence might look computer-generated, very little CGI has been used in the show. The island where the competitions took place is not a real one, but a set, although it fooled several fans with its authenticity.

Although Season 2 doesn't look very imminent, given that it took a process of well over a decade to write season 1, the fans of the show have their hopes high, and expect Squid Game's unprecedented success to change the director's mind.