The takeaway from Squid Game was that having people compete for cash in a deadly competition is actually totally cool and good, right? Netflix apparently thought so.
The streamer has announced plans to turn the deadly competition from the hit Korean series into an actual reality series. Squid Game: The Challenge will see 456 players compete in a series of games for a $4.56 million prize, similar to the plot of the show — well, except for the part where a bunch of the players die in the process. "The stakes are high, but in this game the worst fate is going home empty-handed," the streamer assured everyone.
Netflix proudly boasted that Squid Game: The Challenge will feature the "largest cast and lump sum cash prize in reality TV history," and casting is now underway.
"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," Brandon Riegg, Netflix's vice president of unscripted and documentary series, said.
But Netflix quickly faced backlash as critics argued profiting off a show where real people are pitted against each other for a cash prize betrays the entire point of Squid Game, a dark commentary on capitalism. Maybe the streamer should have actually watched the show before giving this idea the green light.