Squid Game: The Challenge contestants are threatening legal action against Netflix and producers after claiming they were injured during the filming of the game show.
A British personal injuries law firm is representing two unnamed players who say they suffered hypothermia and nerve damage while shooting in cold conditions in the UK.
Express Solicitors said in a press statement that it had sent letters of claim to Studio Lambert, the co-producer of Netflix’s Squid Game: The Challenge.
The contestants’ allegations concern their experience shooting the show’s opening game ‘Red Light, Green Light,’ in which players must evade the attention of a menacing robotic doll.
The game was filmed at Cardington Studios, a former Royal Air Force base in Bedford, during a cold snap in Britain. Netflix confirmed at the time that three of 456 players required medical attention.
Express Solicitors, which specializes in no win no fee claims, said its clients risked their health by having to stay motionless for long periods during the shoot as they attempted to stay in the competition.
Daniel Slade, CEO of Express Solicitors, 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.”
Deadline reported in February that Squid Game: The Challenge faced an independent safety inspection after the medical incidents on set.
Britain’s Health and Safety Executive — or HSE as it is more commonly known — reminded producers to plan properly for risk on the re-creation of the blockbuster Korean drama, but ultimately decided that no further action was necessary.
Squid Game: The Challenge premiered on Thursday.