Netflix Also Missed the Point of 'Squid Game'
Entertainment

Netflix Also Missed the Point of 'Squid Game'

In an ironic self-fulfilling prophecy-type twist, Netflix and the creators of Squid Game have announced that they will be turning the hit dystopian drama about the cruelty of capitalism and fatal consequences of greed into an actual reality TV competition series for our current dystopian reality.

Following the official announcement earlier this week that the streaming platform's most watched series would be returning for a second season, Netflix has said that they are currently working on a spinoff series inspired by the games and visual motifs of the show, called Squid Game: The Challenge. The show will feature 456 contestants competing for a whopping $4.56 million prize, which would be the single largest game show jackpot in the history of reality TV.

“As they compete through a series of games inspired by the original show — plus surprising new additions — their strategies, alliances and character will be put to the test while competitors are eliminated around them,” Netflix said in a press release. Thankfully, the show will differ from its source material in one key aspect: contestants' only major risk in participating "is going home empty-handed."

Apart from having to necessarily jettison the baked-in murder component of the show for legal reasons (we can only imagine the boardroom meetings and focus groups that went into making the decision), it makes sense Netflix would want to milk one of their most watched properties, regardless of whether or not the move proves the allegorical point the Korean drama intended. Then again, Squid Game costumes and themed parties were all rage last year during Halloween so its safe to say that we're past the point of being self-aware.

No official date has been set for second season of Squid Game so far but the show's creator Hwang Dong-hyuk has previously estimated that it could possibly come in 2023 or 2024 and there might even be a third season potentially in the works. Netflix has put out an open call for English-language speakers from around the world for the first round of the competition show which will be filmed in the UK. If you think you have what it takes to win Squid Game, head here to apply.

Photo via Getty/ Jakub Porzycki/ NurPhoto