by Thinus Ferreira
Run when the dolly's eyes are closed! South Africans can now enter Squid Game: The Challenge, with Netflix that is turning its global, hit drama series about a brutal and apocalyptic reality contest into a real-life reality series with 456 contestants and one winner who will get $4.56 million (R72.9 million). No contestants will die.
Netflix has announced that its Korean drama series Squid Game, currently in production on a second season, is being spun off into a global reality show with the biggest prize money for a show ever - $4.56 million (R72.9 million).
The horrific drama series in which 456 players who are all in big financial trouble compete in deadly children's games inside a deadly reality show, became Netflix's most-watched show ever after its debut in September 2021, with over 1.65 billion hours viewed globally.
The 10-episode Squid Game: The Challenge will be produced in the United Kingdom with 456 players from across the globe who will compete against each other in games based on the series, plus new additions, with the show's format all connected to the origins of Squid Game and with players put through their paces in a series of tough games testing their strategies, alliances and character as they are eliminated round after round until just one is left.
People worldwide can enter, including South Africans who are older than 21, have a passport and who will be able to travel to the UK for four weeks in early-2023 for filming.
People who want to enter can go to SquidGameCasting.com and must upload a 1-minute video in landscape mode, telling the show about yourself, why you want to be on Squid Game: The Challenge, what your game plan would be and what you would do with a huge cash prize if you won. Two recent photos must also be uploaded and contestants must be able to speak English.
Squid Game: The Challenge is co-produced by Studio Lamberts, with Stephen Lambert, Tim Harcourt, and Toni Ireland as executive producers, as well as John Hay, Nicola Hill, and Nicola Brown from The Garden which is part of ITV Studios, as executive producers as well.
"Squid Game took the world by storm with director Hwang's captivating story and iconic imagery," says Brandon Riegg, Netflix vice president of unscripted and documentary series.
"We're grateful for his support as we turn the fictional world into reality in this massive competition and social experiment. Fans of the drama series are in for a fascinating and unpredictable journey as our 456 real world contestants navigate the biggest competition series ever, full of tension and twists, with the biggest ever cash prize at the end."
"Recruitment is open now at SquidGameCasting.com. For this round, the Front Man is in search of English-language speakers from any part of the world."
