Netflix has confirmed that Squid Game: The Challenge will debut in November.
The streamer announced the news at its Upfronts event, reiterating that the spinoff welcomes a huge twist as the fictional show becomes a reality.
Brandon Riegg, Vice President of Netflix Series and Documentary Series, said, “Squid Game has taken the world by storm with director Hwang’s captivating story and iconic visuals.
“We are grateful for his support as we make the fictional world a 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 thrills and twists, with the biggest cash prize ever at the end.”
OMG! Netflix has confirmed that Squid Game: The Challenge will debut in November
Not really! The streamer announced the news at its Upfronts event, reiterating that the spin-off welcomes a huge twist as the fictional show becomes a reality
Huge twists and turns: “456 real-world contestants navigate the biggest competition series ever, full of thrills and twists, with the biggest cash prize ever at the end,” Netflix revealed
The announcement comes four months after it was revealed that outraged contestants taking part in the new reality show were considering legal action against Netflix.
In January, dozens of players blasted the production, claiming they were “treated like animals” and made to stand in freezing temperatures for hours when filming began at Cardington TV Studios in Bedford.
Meanwhile, two contestants were reportedly kicked off the show before filming began after breaking production rules by having sex in the hotel they were being housed in.
The streaming platform secretly began shooting the reality version based on the deadly fictional Squid Games competition, where contestants compete for the biggest cash prize in TV history – £3.7 million.
As temperatures plummeted to -3C in UK studios, some disgruntled players agreed they had to film in such cold conditions and even considered suing Netflix.
“We were tortured for eight hours. We were just fodder. You don’t treat animals that way. I know the show was supposed to be tough, but it felt inhuman,” one player told The Sun.
“At one point I could tell they were bringing a black coffin with a pink ribbon, just like in the original show. I feel like they prioritized a good chance over helping us.’
Another player claimed that people were “dropping like flies” because of the cold weather.
Unhappy: In January, dozens of players destroyed production, claiming they were “treated like animals” and made to stand in freezing temperatures for hours
Elsewhere, two players would have squandered their chances before the games even started, after bed-hopping at London’s Tower Hotel, where contestants stayed for two days before filming began in Bedford.
A source told the publication at the time, “There were strict rules that players had to abide by before filming of the show began. The production team found out two were sleeping together and had to cut them before it even started.”
The insider went on to say that the rules include not allowing associating with other players or smoking and drinking alcohol during the hotel stay.
MailOnline has reached out to Netflix, Studio Lambert and The Garden for comment.
It comes after reports emerged that contestants were reportedly left screaming ‘medic’ before being carried away in freezing conditions during filming.
In response to the claims at the time, Studio Lambert, The Garden and Netflix said in a joint statement: “We care deeply about the health and safety of our cast and crew and have invested in all appropriate safety procedures.
Although it was very cold on set – and the contestants were prepared for it – all claims of serious injury are untrue.
“We care deeply about the health and safety of our cast and crew and have invested in all appropriate safety procedures.”
Out in the cold: Contestants in Netflix’s real-life Squid Game were reportedly left screaming ‘Doctor’ before being carried away in freezing temperatures while filming for the show
Issues: Players would have felt like they were freezing as temperatures at the UK filming location plummeted to -3C
One player previously told The Sun: “Even when hypothermia hits, people are willing to stay as long as possible because there’s a lot of money at stake.
“Too many people were determined not to move, so they stood there for far too long. People arrived thinking they would become millionaires, but they left in tears.’
They added, “It was like a war zone. People were taken away by medics, but we couldn’t say anything. If you talk, you’re out. Some people couldn’t move their feet because it was so cold.
“You could hear someone shout ‘Doctor’ and the crew rushed on. We ended up standing there for 30 minutes between takes. Some crept towards the end. At least one was carried on a stretcher.”
A total of 456 players took part, the same number as in the original series, with some reportedly starting to feel unwell during the first game, Red Light, Green Light.
Competitors were even flown in from the United States and Australia for the show, which was filmed at Cardington Studios, a former RAF base near Bedford.
Hundreds were eliminated in the first round and then stayed in bunk beds in the studios, just like in the Korean series.
In the original series, hundreds of cash-strapped contestants accept an invitation to join children’s games for a tempting prize, but the stakes are deadly.
The reality series will consist of ten episodes – one more than the original thriller.
The TV production company behind the show Studio Lambert has previously been accused of allowing “inhumane” working conditions and faced allegations of mistreating staff on previous reality shows.
Some of those who worked on the popular Gogglebox series described a toxic culture where staff worked excessive hours and were expected to work without breaks.
The BECTU union, which represents film production workers, received complaints from staff about how they were being treated.
One employee told the union: ‘People have had enough. You don’t show up 12 hours a day to be yelled at.”
Bectu said they urgently requested a meeting with the company behind many contestant-led shows, including ‘BBC show’ Traitors and ‘Race the World’.
Screen Magic: The reality series will consist of 10 episodes, which happens to be one more than the original dramatic series
Squid Game became Netflix’s most-watched program in 2021, with 142 million people in its first month – almost double Bridgerton’s previous record.
The Korean drama is also lauded for adding 4.4 million new subscribers, increasing its global Netflix subscription from 209 million to 213.5 million.
It boosted the company’s profits to £1.1bn – nearly double the amount it brought in in the third quarter of 2020.