Netflix readies real-life Squid Game coproduced by Studio Lambert, The Garden

Squid Game has just been renewed for a second season

Netflix has ordered a 10-part competition series based on its smash-hit South Korean drama Squid Game, with UK-based prodcos Studio Lambert and The Garden coproducing.

Squid Game: The Challenge will have the “largest cast and lump-sum cash prize in reality TV history,” according to the streaming giant, with 456 contestants vying for a share of US$4.46m.

In the original scripted series, 456 players, all in various levels of debt, risk their lives in deadly versions of children’s games for the chance to win 45.6bn Korean won (the equivalent of around US$38m). Earlier this week, it was renewed for a second season.

Netflix said the reality TV iteration will see contestants compete in a series of games “inspired by the original show” as they attempt to avoid elimination.

Filmed in the UK, the unscripted show is executive produced by Stephen Lambert, Tim Harcourt and Toni Ireland for Studio Lambert; and John Hay, Nicola Hill and Nicola Brown from ITV-backed The Garden. Casting for contestants is underway, with Netflix looking for “English-language speakers from any part of the world.”

Brandon Riegg, Netflix’s VP of unscripted and documentary series, said: “Squid Game took the world by storm with [creator Hwang Dong-hyuk’s] captivating story and iconic imagery. 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.”