What would you do for £3.75 million?
Loved Squid Game? Think you could make it to the end and win it all?
Fans of the Korean Netflix hit now have the opportunity to take part in the show’s high stakes competition, presumably with less murder and psychological torture. Netflix has announced a reality show version of the thriller titled Squid Game: The Challenge will be filmed in the UK - and they're recruiting 456 players from all over the world right now.
The prize? £3.75 million.
If you haven’t seen Squid Game, the fictional drama centred around contestants who competed against one another in brutal challenges. From a Korean version of Grandma’s Footsteps called ‘Red Light, Green Light’ which shot losers dead on the spot, to a round of Tug of War which ended with losers falling to their death off a raised platform, the eventual final winner of the competition bagged a gigantic cash prize.
Netflix called the reality programme its “biggest ever social experiment,” adding it was totally “unscripted” and stating the final winner of the show would leave with a “life-changing cash prize.” The show will be 10 episodes long and the team behind The Circle and The Garden, a company under ITV Studios, will be co-producing.
Applications for Squid Game: The Challenge are now open to the public and on the UK casting page, Netflix states, “Please note: Win or lose, all players will leave unscathed. But if you win, you win big!”
For those interested in taking part, only people aged 21 years old and above are eligible. (Even though Squid Game is a Korean show, ironically only English-speakers will be considered.) According to the application, filming will most likely take place in early 2023. Those interested are required to send in a one minute video explaining why they want to be a contestant, as well as a series of photographs alongside their submission.
If you love Squid Game, but sensibly have no desire to take part in its challenges - there’s some good news for you too. Netflix announced earlier this week that the fictional shos set to return for a second series, with creator Hwang Dong-hyuk revealing Gi-hun and The Front Man will be returning, as well as a couple of new and returning characters.
“Join us once more for a whole new round,” Dong-hyuk signed off his announcement message.
Those interested in applying for Squid Game: The Challenge can sign up here.|