Studios and Actors Rejected the Show
When director Dong-hyuk finished writing the script in 2009, no studio wanted to touch it because they felt that the violence was too much. And if that weren’t bad enough, several actors refused to sign up for the roles because they felt the concept was unrealistic and disturbing.
Then again, this was during a time before films like “The Purge,” which was also spun-off into a series for two seasons before its cancellation. But as violent films and television shows became mainstream, Dong-hyuk’s vision became more appealing to studios, actors, and audiences alike.