MrBeast’s Squid Game video ‘approved’ by creator behind hit Netflix show
YouTube: Still Watching Netflix, MrBeastThe mind behind hit Netflix show Squid Game, Hwang Dong-hyuk, has given Jimmy ‘MrBeast’ Donaldson his official seal of approval after the YouTuber recreated the viral thriller.
On November 24, MrBeast finally unleashed his own rendition of Squid Game, the viral Korean thriller that took over the internet for weeks and became Netflix’s biggest show thus far.
The show follows several characters saddled with debts and financial hardships, who unwittingly sign up for a series of life-or-death children’s games in order to take home a massive cash prize.
It wasn’t long before the YouTube star teased the idea of making his own version of the Netflix show — and fans were ecstatic about the possibility.
Recreating Squid Games is costing more then I thought it would but i’m in to deep to stop now lol pic.twitter.com/Z196lyz4Ig
— MrBeast (@MrBeast) November 7, 2021
After weeks of releasing behind-the-scenes footage and sharing small snippets of information (including the project’s $3.5 million budget) MrBeast unleashed his Squid Game rendition, featuring an exact 456 contestants and sets that looked like they could have been ripped right out of the original show.
The video was met with major acclaim, and has racked up over 110 million views mere days after being uploaded.
Although the video did garner some controversy — with critics accusing the YouTuber of plagiarism — it looks like the show’s creator is a fan of MrBeast’s work.
Squid Game director reacts to MrBeast video
A little under a week after the video was published, Squid Game writer-director Hwang Dong-hyuk was interviewed at the 2021 Gotham Awards and asked about his thoughts on MrBeast’s project.
“I watched some of it,” the director said with a laugh. “I loved it! It helped me to promote the show, too, so please, I want more people to do it!”
There we have it, straight from the creator’s mouth — it seems he’s a big fan of MrBeast’s version of his viral show, and would even love for more content creators to unleash their own takes in the future.
Although MrBeast has yet to react to Hwang Dong-hyuk’s comments, he did make sure to credit the director at the end of his Squid Game video, saying: “We took huge inspiration from this show and I genuinely appreciate you.”