When Squid Game dropped on Netflix a year ago, the whole world became enamored with watching a bunch of middle-aged people play bloody children’s games with deadly outcomes for entertainment because, well, that’s what TV is for! But when Netflix announced that there would be a reality competition series based on the show, people were understandably hesitant.
Obviously, Netflix would not kill its contestants (there are a lot of liability issues there) but the whole show is a commentary on what people are willing to do for money when they are desperate, which doesn’t really translate into a light-hearted reality competition. The show, which was ordered earlier this summer, will take 456 players on a journey to win $4.56 million in a violence-free competition.
Squid Game’s creator Hwang Dong-hyuk is well aware of how the competition series might feel a little disingenuous, but he thinks that it won’t make light of the dark drama show, and instead, bring awareness to other people’s financial hardships.
“What I hope is that they will be carrying on my vision and intention as much as possible for the show,” the now Emmy-winner explained while backstage at the ceremony. “I think that even though our show does carry quite a heavy message — and I know that there are some concerns on taking that message and creating it into a reality show with a cash prize. I feel like when you take things too seriously, that’s really not the best way to go for the entertainment industry. It doesn’t really set a great precedent.”
Hwang also said he met with the creators of the reality show to be sure that they would remain true to its core beliefs, while also having some entertaining moments. It is a TV show competition, after all, and it shouldn’t be taken that seriously. As long as nobody gets killed during an intense game of Red Light Green Light, it will be fine!