Netflix is staging a real-life Squid Game series that presents itself as “the biggest reality show in history.”
The streamer announced on Tuesday a reality TV production based on its global dystopian success at the Banff World Media Festival.
While the bet will not be life or death (presumably), Squid Game: The Challenge will have 456 players competing in a series of games to have a chance to win $ 4.56 million. Netflix claims that payment is the largest cash prize in the history of television (although Fox’s X Factor has previously awarded $ 5 million in recording contracts) and that the show also features series distribution. largest competition ever assembled.
“Squid Game took the world by storm [director Hwang Dong-hyuk’s] captivating story and iconic imagery, “said Brandon Riegg, Netflix’s vice president of documentary and unscripted series. Fans of the drama series are on the verge of a fascinating and unpredictable journey as our 456 real-world contestants navigate the biggest competition series in history, full of tension and twists, with the most cash prize. great story at the end “.
The announcement was made at the festival by the streamer’s head of global television, Bela Bajaria, during a panel moderated by The Hollywood Reporter’s editorial director Nekesa Mumbi Moody.
The reality show will consist of 10 episodes (one more than the first season of the drama series) and a teaser video has also been released:
The announcement comes after Netflix officially renewed Squid Game for a second season. South Korea’s survival drama debut season premiered in September and holds the record for being the most popular Netflix series of all time, racking up more than 1.65 billion hours of viewing in its first 28 days. The fourth season of Stranger Things, recently released, ranks as the second most watched streamer.
The idea of making a reality version of Squid Game is perhaps obvious, and it was obvious enough that someone had already done so: YouTube star MrBeast produced an unofficial Squid Game competition that has garnered more than $ 250 million. of views since it was released. in November. The 25-minute video received praise from Hwang, (“I saw some, I loved it, it helps me promote the show,” he said), while Netflix did not comment.
Casting for Squid Game: The Challenge is now open for applications at SquidGameCasting.com. Netflix is looking for contestants from around the world, but they must be English-speaking, a mandate perhaps controversial since the original series was almost entirely in Korean. The rule of language is pragmatic, as the game instructions are given through a loudspeaker and each player must be able to understand what is being said. Players can speak other languages as long as they can also speak and understand English. If the show is successful, other language versions could be produced, just as Netflix reality shows like The Circle and Love is Blind have been adapted for various countries.
The production will be especially complicated, as the producers will not know who will survive in advance and, therefore, will have to get sufficient coverage of the 456 contestants in the early stages of the game in order to develop an edition that follows all the “protagonists “of the program. the way through. The challenges will be inspired by the drama series, but there will be differences and additions to keep the players unaware.
Squid Game told the story of a father and a divorced player (Lee Jung-jae) who take part in a secret competition where 456 players compete in a series of backyard games such as stretching and stretching. The losers in each round run until only one winner remains.
It is unclear how the $ 4.56 million reality show will be distributed. Will it be a payout for all the winners as in the drama series? Or will the funds be distributed among a number of finalists, as in other competitions with a large number of competitors such as the World Series of Poker?
The Challenge is a co-production between Studio Lambert (The Circle) and The Garden (24 Hours in A&E), part of ITV Studios, and will be filmed in the UK. Stephen Lambert, Tim Harcourt and Toni Ireland of Studio Lambert; and John Hay, Nicola Hill and Nicola Brown of The Garden will act as executive producers.