Netflix Developing A New Reality Game Show Based On ‘Squid Game’
Squid Game took the internet by storm when it premiered on Netflix in September 2021. The unique plot of how far a group of people in deep financial hardship will go to win a large sum of money shocks viewers worldwide. The first season of Squid Game garnered over 1.65 billion view hours during its first 28 days. Netflix’s popular series Stranger Things Season 4 came in second after Squid Game.
The ending of season 1 pointed to a possible season 2. Finally, on June 12, 2022, Squid Game director, writer, and executive producer Hwang Dong-hyuk announces that season 2 of the popular show is officially coming. Hwang has also confirmed that Gi-hun and The Front Man will be returning and teased that the man in the suit with ddakji (the game involving flipping folded paper tiles) might be returning. Along with the little details accompanying the announcement comes speculation. What will Squid Game Season 2 entail? Who else will be returning? Will someone you know survive the Squid Game? Will you survive the Squid Game?
RELATED:
As fans of the show are still processing the first piece of news, Netflix hit the audience with a second announcement. It is developing Squid Game: The Challenge, a reality game show based on the popular series where 456 players will be competing for a $4.56 million prize. The competition will consist of 10 episodes, one more than the first season of Squid Game. Obviously, the games featured in this reality show will not be as dangerous as those played in the series. According to the show casting page, the stakes may be high, but “the worst fate is going home empty-handed.” How the $4.56 million prize money will be distributed is also unclear. May it would be a winner-take-all like in the series, or it would be divided among a certain number of finalists.
With the popularity of Squid Game, it is only a matter of time before someone will bring along the real-life version (without the life-risking part). YouTube’s MrBeast paved the way back in November 2021 by recreating the games shown in the show. His 25-minute video depicted 456 people in a competition for $456,000. MrBeast put in a lot of work to accurately replicate the sets and details from the series. You would think the video was filmed on the actual Squid Game set. With a much larger budget, one could only imagine what Netflix could bring to this reality competition. Will it be an exact reproduction of the elimination rounds and playground games depicted in the series? Perhaps Netflix will bring its own spin.
The reality game show is not without its own challenges. Unlike the original series, where the plot is already scripted and the outcome predetermined, producers of Squid Game: The Challenge will have to follow all 456 contestants in the early stages of the game to be able to chronicle the journey of the game’s “protagonists” all the way through to the end.
Squid Game: The Challenge is now accepting applications for its contestants. While the competition is open to everyone over the age of 21, they must be able to speak and understand English, as the directions given will be entirely in English. The competition will be filmed in the United Kingdom. According to the casting page, contestants must be available to participate in the program for up to 4 weeks, which is currently anticipated to be in early 2023. Of course, this time frame is subject to change at the production’s discretion.
How similar and different will Squid Game: The Challenge be from the original series? Do you have what it takes to participate in the biggest reality series ever? Or are you merely content just watching from the safety of your home?
READ NEXT: