Real Life Squid Game Competition Coming To Netflix
Maybe this one will be safer to watch than to compete in?
This article is more than 2 years old
Remember when movies like Battle Royale and The Hunger Games came out, and we all said that sort of thing could never happen in real life, because our society has advanced too far to allow it? Well, we underestimated the power of Netflix, because the streaming service is bringing us a real Squid Game, based on the their hit show. According to Deadline, the series has been green lit, and we have to admit, we’re pretty psyched for it. Here’s the announcement trailer, which is making us think of all the people we’d like to see compete in it and lose.
Now, I know what you’re going to say: This isn’t actually a real Squid Game, it’s only based on the challenges themselves, and people won’t actually die gruesome deaths if they lose. That may be true, but it should be noted that, in the announcement trailer, Netflix seemed to go out of their way NOT to point that little fact out. It’s what everyone is thinking, and yet Netflix didn’t even address it. Either Netflix has a wicked sense of humor, which is entirely possible, or things are about to get really medieval up in here pretty quick.
For the handful of you who still haven’t seen it, Squid Game is a Korean drama in which people in financial straits are offered the chance to get millions by winning a series of challenges to be the last person among 456 players standing. The only caveat is that losing any of the challenges means death, and often a painful, horrific one. The series was such a hit, it became an international sensation, and Netflix’s biggest series ever. The real Squid Game will operate in much the same way – 456 contestants compete in variations of Korean children’s games, without the deadly consequences, we assume. The winner takes home a $4.56 million dollar prize, the largest cash prize ever offered for a reality series. It is, however, decidedly smaller than the approximately $35 million offered in the series.
Crafted as a ten-part reality competition series, Squid Game: The Challenge is currently casting English-language speakers from around the world to compete. The challenges in the real Squid Game will be inspired by those featured in the show, with a few new ones thrown in for an extra challenge, and in case some of you are already working on how to chisel those Squid Game cookie things. We assume that also means that Young-hee, the creepy giant girl doll featured in the show’s “Red Light – Green Light” game will make an appearance as well (Fun fact: Young-hee is an actual statue on display at a horse carriage museum north of Seoul, South Korea — It was borrowed for the show and later returned). Other games, we can guess, will be modified for television. If you are brave/clever/stupid enough to want to compete in this thing, you can visit SquidGameCasting.com to throw your name into the ring. It is not known if the stars of the show will appear in some way, although we would be disappointed if they don’t.
A start of production is not known, as the series has just gotten the green light, and casting is just underway. The real Squid Game competition will film in the United Kingdom. Season two of Squid Game was just renewed officially this month, although work on the series has been underway for some time. It remains to be seen which of the two series will make it to Netflix first.
