Squid Game Becoming Real, How You Can Be Part Of It
If you’re truly psychotic, you may have watched the Netflix series Squid Game and thought that it might be a fun thing to try for yourself. However, if you’re normal, you might have seen the show and thought the games looked fun if only you didn’t die in a gruesome way if you lost. Well, starting in December, you can head to Los Angeles to attend a competitive experience based on the series, complete with a “Night Market” offering Korean food, drinks, a store, and photo-ops (via The Hollywood Reporter).
The experience, dubbed Squid Game: The Trials, will have a live competition for participants at the Television City complex starting December 6, with tickets going on sale on October 11. Tickets will start at $39, and the experience will be open Wednesdays through Sundays. Chef Katianna Hong of the Korean-Americana restaurant YANGBAN will be curating the food and beverage menus.
Netflix is bringing a live fan experience, Squid Game: The Trials, to Los Angeles later this year.
Netflix’s official release about Squid Game: The Trials goes on to say that those participating in the competition will be greeted by “The Front Man,” who will run challengers through six different games. Each participant will earn points depending on how they do in the game. This experience continues Netflix’s push for opening immersive pop-ups in big cities, with Bridgerton, Stranger Things, and Money Heist already getting the same treatment in New York and Los Angeles.
Squid Game was more than just a commercial hit, as it was widely critically acclaimed as well and received numerous Golden Globe and Emmy wins and nominations.
The Squid Game show follows a group of desperate and cash-strapped individuals who are offered the chance to compete in a secret contest for a huge cash prize. The child-like games may seem easy enough, but the contestants find out that losing holds deadly consequences. The series was an absolute smash hit for Netflix and became the streamer’s most-watched show of all time in 94 countries, with more than 142 million member households and 1.65 billion viewing hours within just four weeks of premiering.
Squid Game was more than just a commercial hit, as it was widely critically acclaimed as well and received numerous Golden Globe and Emmy wins and nominations. It was nominated for Outstanding Drama Series at the Emmys, making it the first non-English series to be nominated in the category, and Lee Jung-jae won Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series, making him the first Asian actor to win the award for a non-English-speaking role. Naturally, Netflix greenlit the series for a second season, and filming for that season began in July 2023.
Squid Game Season 2 is arriving next year, but for now, we don’t know much about it, other than it will reveal more of the Front Man’s backstory.
Not much is known about the second season of Squid Game, but it was confirmed that the characters Gi-hun and the Front Man would return and that the season would introduce Cheol-su, who is Young-hee’s boyfriend. The full confirmed cast at this time is Lee Jung-jae, Lee Byung-hun, Gong Yoo, Wi Ha-joon, Kang Ha-neul, Park Sung-hoon, Im Si-wan, Yang Dong-geun, Park Gyu-young, Lee Jin-wook, Won Jin-ah, Jo Yu-ri, Kang Ae-shim, Lee David, and Roh Jae-won. There is currently no official release date.
Along with the original series, there is also a reality show on Netflix titled Squid Game: The Challenge, which is set to debut in November 2023. Like the LA pop-up experience, the reality show will recreate the structure of the show without the deaths that come along with it. Stay tuned for more news about the upcoming reality show and the second season of Squid Game.
