Contestants on Squid Game: The Challenge are threatening a legal challenge against Netflix, claiming that they sustained injuries during the filming of the show.
Two players, who have not been named, say they suffered hypothermia and nerve damage while shooting the series in the Cardington Studios, a former Royal Air Force base in Bedford, UK.
As reported by Deadline, the British personal injuries law firm Express Solicitors have sent letters of claim to Studio Lambert, the co-producers of the show, as well as Netflix. They say their clients risked their health by having to stay motionless during the ‘Red Light, Green Light’ game, in which players must avoid being seen moving by a robotic doll.
Daniel Slade, CEO of the law firm, said: “We recognise people may see this as a classic David and Goliath battle with the company and its production partners.
“Contestants thought they were taking part in something fun and those injured did not expect to suffer as they did. Now they have been left with injuries after spending time being stuck in painful stress positions in cold temperatures.”
A spokesperson for Squid Game: The Challenge said: “No lawsuit has been filed by any of the Squid Game contestants. We take the welfare of our contestants extremely seriously.”
In the original fictional series, players participated in challenges based on children’s games in a bid to take home a $4.56million cash prize. However, should they lose the games, the consequences are fatal.
Squid Game: The Challenge takes that concept and pits 456 players against each other in a series of games inspired by the original show, as well as some new surprises. As an official synopsis from Netflix explains, the contestants’ “strategies, alliances, and character will be put to the test while competitors are eliminated around them”. One obvious key difference, though, is that rather than being killed off after being eliminated, competitors are just packed off home instead.
In a four-star review, NME wrote: “At its best, Squid Game: The Challenge captures a bit of the Machiavellian magic that made the first season of The Traitors so compelling.”
The first five episodes of the series were released on Netflix on November 22, with a further four set to arrive on November 29. A grand finale will follow on December 6.
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