How Long Did It Take to Film Squid Game: The Challenge? All The Filming Details

6 December 2023, 10:04 | Updated: 6 December 2023, 17:15

The reality show of our favourite series Squid Game has us gripped! But how long did it take to film Squid Game: The Challenge and where was it filmed? Here are your answers.

Netflix have got viewers hooked with their newest reality show Squid Game: The Challenge, a competition for real people hoping to win a $4.56 (£3.61) million prize in the grand finale.

The show is inspired by the gruesome but hugely popular South Korean TV series Squid Game - however there's less death in this version as when the competitors fail a challenge they are hit with a fake gun shot and kicked off of the show.

Squid Game: The Challenge – which fans are hoping will be renewed for another season – might just be the biggest game show ever, with 456 players taking part from all over the world. The mix of nationalities has people wondering, where was the show filmed and how long did it take?

• Read more: What Was The Budget For Squid Game: The Challenge?
• Read more: Is Squid Game: The Challenge Real?
• Read more: Squid Game: The Challenge Contestants Spill What Filming Was Really Like

The logistics of the series has also been a big talking point as some of the contestants have alleged poor working conditions - but how long did they have to film the show for? Here's what we know...

How long Did Squid Games: The Challenge take to Film?

According to Netflix, the whole competition was filmed across just 16 days at Wharf Studios, London.

Looking at the individual games, contestants have said the Red Light, Green Light challenge was filmed over multiple hours and sometimes they had to stay still on 'Red light' for hours at a time - yikes! Player 215, Eric Roberts, has said said that in all that game took between six and eight hours to film.

Unlike the other games in the show, the glass bridge scene has actually been revealed to have been partially fabricated. One of the show's producers, John Hay, said: “The ‘fall’ through the trapdoor was done by a stunt person. That fall takes specialist skills."

With cameras on the players nearly 24/7 Netflix have said that during the day the cast were filming for about 16 hours from around 7:00 or 8:00 a.m until lights out at about 11:00 p.m.

However, the number of cameras on while they slept dropped to about 10, and that was mainly just to keep an eye on players’ health and safety.

Where Was Squid Game: The Challenge Filmed?

The 10-episode competition series was filmed mostly at Wharf Studios in Barking, just outside of London. However, the first round of competition took place at Cardington Studios in Bedford, England.

The first round was the infamous 'Red Light, Green Light' challenge which required a larger space, 100 meters x 40 meters (328 feet x 131 feet) to be exact. Netflix have said they used a field that was over 100,000 square feet to shoot that challenge.

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