Deadly child’s play for nearly P2B? ‘Squid Game’ premieres today!

Are you willing to bet on your life for nearly P2 billion?

That's the premise of Netflix’s “Squid Game.” It tackles good ol' competition using children’s games. More than 400 participants — 456 competitors to be exact — will be fighting for the prize money amounting to 45.6 billion Korean won.

The catch? For you to win, the other 455 should be killed.

In an online interview with the press Wednesday, director Hwang Dong Hyuk said that apart from the entertainment, “Squid Game” will make its audiences reflect on how they live their lives.

“After you finish watching it, you would start thinking why they had to compete so hard and that will lead you to think, ‘Why am I living a life in such a competitive manner?’” he said.

Among the hundreds of competitors are people who’ve had it rough in their lives outside the game, so they would like to show how willing they are to put their lives on the line for money.

One is Seong Gi Hun (Lee Jung Jae), whose mother is suffering from an illness. Joining him is Cho Song Woo (Park Hae Soo) who suddenly ends up in debt after years of being in a successful streak.

Kang Sae Byeok (Jung Ho Yeon) and Deok Soo (Heo Sung Tae), meanwhile, also participated in the game to get money for their dreams and to pay off debt, respectively.

As they play, they are being watched over by a couple of masked men who wear the same red uniform, but have different shapes on their faces, which signify their roles.

Those with the circles are the workers, while those who have the square are managers. Triangles, on the other hand, are armed because they are soldiers.

Included in the children’s games that will be shown in the series are Squid Game and Red Light, Green Light, which was first shown in the trailer. 

Although some games are unique to Korea, Dong Hyuk said they are easy to understand, so anyone watching will be able to follow through in just seconds.

Apart from the twist injected on child’s play in a playground-like set, the director also made sure to use music that will make the audiences look back on their younger days.

“Art and everything are set up in a way that would be serving, in a way, what we experienced as a child in the ‘70s and ’80s,” he said.

“We actually took some music from back then, as well, some codes that were frequenly plated back in those days,” he added.

Also starring, Wi Ha Jun as Hwang Jun Ho, “Squid Game” will premiere on Netflix on September 17. — LA, GMA News