Netflix has approved a real-life version of the South Korean show “Squid Game.”
Described as the “biggest reality competition series ever created”, “Squid Game: The Challenge” is billed for production early next year in the United Kingdom.
The reality show will feature 456 contestants battling it out for a $4.56million cash prize.
In a press release, the streaming service confirmed the reality show on Tuesday, noting that the sum would be the largest cash prize ever offered on reality TV.
Netflix VP Brandon Rieg said in the release, “‘Squid Game’ took the world by storm with [director] Hwang Dong-hyuk’s captivating story and iconic imagery.”
“We’re grateful for his support as we turn the fictional world into reality in this massive competition and social experiment.”
Casting for the show is open to English-language speakers over the age of 21 at SquidGameCasting.com.
“Squid Game: The Challenge” will feature ten episodes, and production is expected to take place over four weeks.
Reality show “Squid Game” which was released on Netflix last September, followed 456 cash-strapped contestants as they played a series of deadly children’s games to win $36million prize.
While the show’s games would inspire games in the reality series, they, however, wouldn’t be as gruesome.
“The stakes are high, but in this game the worst fate is going home empty-handed,” Tuesday’s press release continued.
“Squid Game” takes its place as Netflix’s most-watched series, watched by more than 142 million households during the first four weeks of its launch.
The hit series has been renewed for a second season, although it is not yet in production.
“Squid Game” is the first Korean drama to take the top spot on Netflix in the United States and has even spurred interest among people in learning Korean.
The nine-part series, which became very popular since its launch in September 2021, cost only $21.4m (€18.5m) to produce – about $2.4m an episode.
