The scripted Korean drama is a satirical thriller that sees 456 desperate contestants compete with each other in a mysterious and deadly survival game involving multiple rounds of games.

The prize? 45.6 billion won (just shy of £30 million), which would pull them out of their misery. Every game they face is a traditional children’s game such as Red Light, Green Light (policed by Young-hee), but the consequence of losing is death.

The show soon became Netflix’s most popular series of all time, with more than 1.65 billion view hours in the first 28 days after its September 2021 premiere. Now the streamer is doing the inevitable and turning the satirical premise into the basis of an actual competition series.

Titled Squid Game: The Challenge, the competition will see 456 real players enter the game in pursuit of a $4.56 million prize. As they compete through a series of games inspired by the original show, their strategies, alliances, and character will be put to the test while competitors are eliminated (not literally) around them.

The 10-episode series is a co-production between Studio Lambert (The Circle) and The Garden (24 Hours in A&E), part of ITV Studios, and it will be filmed in the UK. Stephen Lambert, Tim Harcourt, and Toni Ireland from Studio Lambert, and John Hay, Nicola Hill, and Nicola Brown from The Garden will serve as executive producers.

“Squid Game" took the world by storm with Director Hwang’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, "said Brandon Riegg, Netflix VP of Unscripted and Documentary Series."

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.”

Recruitment is open now at SquidGameCasting.com. For this round, Netflix is seeking English-language speakers from any part of the world.