The streamer announced a reality TV production based on its global dystopian crash at the Banff World Media Festival on Tuesday. Although the bet will not be life or death (probably), Squid Game: The Challenge will have 456 players competing in a series of games for the chance to win $ 4.56 million. Netflix claims the payout is the largest one-time cash prize in television history (although Fox X Factor has previously issued $ 5 million worth of recording contracts) and that the series also includes the largest competition series ever. “The Squid Game destroyed the world [director Hwang Dong-hyuk’s] “Fascinating story and iconic images,” said Brandon Riegg, Netflix vice president of the series without script and documentary. “We are grateful for his support as we turn the fantasy world into reality in this huge competition and social experiment. “Fans of the drama series are on an exciting and unpredictable journey as the 456 real-world contestants navigate the biggest competition series ever, full of intensity and twists, with the biggest cash prize of all time at the end.” The announcement was made at the festival by the head of world television streamer 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 shortly after the official renewal of Squid Game by Netflix for a second season. The first season of the South Korean survival drama was released in September and holds the record as the most popular Netflix series of all time, garnering more than 1.65 billion hours of views in its first 28 days. The fourth season of the recently released Stranger Things ranks as the second most-watched streamer. The idea of creating a reality version of Squid Game is perhaps unthinkable, and it was obvious enough that someone had already done it – YouTube star MrBeast created an unofficial Squid Game competition that has garnered more than 250 million views since its release in November. The 25-minute video received praise from Hwang, (“I saw some of it, I liked 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 all over the world, but they must be English-speaking – a perhaps controversial command since the original series was almost entirely in Korean. The rule of language is realistic, as the game instructions are given on a speaker and each player must be able to understand what is being said. Players are allowed to speak other languages, as long as they can also speak and understand English. If the show is successful, other language versions may be created, such as Netflix reality shows such as The Circle and Love is Blind, which have been adapted for different countries. The production will be particularly difficult, as the producers will not know in advance who will survive and therefore must have sufficient coverage of all 456 contestants in the early stages of the game, in order to create a treatment that follows all its “protagonists”. series. the passage. The challenges will be inspired by the drama series, but there will be differences and additions to keep players away. Squid Game tells the story of a divorced father and gambler (Lee Jung-jae) who takes part in a secret competition where 456 players compete in a series of playground games, such as tug-of-war. The losers of each round are executed until there is only one winner left. It is not yet clear how the $ 4.56 million reality show will be distributed. Will it be a payout that will win everything as in the drama series? Or will the funds be distributed to a certain 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 shot in the UK. Stephen Lambert, Tim Harcourt and Toni Ireland from Studio Lambert. and John Hay, Nicola Hill and Nicola Brown from The Garden will be executive producers.
