CAST IN ORDER OF APPEARANCE
ADAM: male, 23
RECRUITER: Kate Blanchett, canonica
PLAYER 124: hispanic, male, 30
PLAYER 5, "CHIEF": hispanic, male, 45
ERIC SCHWULTZER: VIP
FREDERICK HALTMAN: VIP, I like to think a Jake Lacy type.
MELVIN, PLAYER 65: white, southern, male, 21
MADDY, PLAYER []: south-pacific, female, 23
PLAYER 432: white, male, 27
PLAYER 145, "NEW YORK": hispanic, male, 27
PLAYER 356, "SHAMAN": white, male, 33
PLAYER 16, "COLLARITO": hispanic, male, 25
PLAYER 545: hispanic, female, 40
PLAYER 333: Black, male, 26
PLAYER 7: white, male, 40
PLAYER 8: white, male 25
LUCAS MULDER: BOB's son, 8
BOB MULDER: VIP
EPISODE 1: STRANGE NEW WORLD
OPENING: Black screen. Breadcrumbs by Deca is playing throughout the scene.
(Breadcrumbs spoken intro) Things are far more serious than I suspect you've been told. (Beat) People are dying up here. And that isn't the end. Well how did all of this happen? (Record scratch, music starts)
OPENING SCENE: EXT. UNITED STATES, VEGAS. YEAR 2027. A view over the city lights at night. Opening credits roll to a sea of blinking lights and machines at a casino.
♫ Big things big screens with big brother's ugly mug / Selling us a pyramid scheme like a fucking drug
CREDITS continue as signs are glowing, people are playing, servers are walking with drinks. It looks like a playground.
(Chorus) ♫ Everything's sunny, everything's lovely, put me on a pedestal, hold no one above me Everything's pleasant and good, eating breadcrumbs like the little peasant that could ♫
CUT: INT. HOTEL ROOM: A young man, ADAM, 23, is sucking a dick in slow motion.
CUT: DIFFERENT ROOM: A woman with a coarse voice is smoking a cigarette and talking on the phone.
SMOKING WOMAN
CUT: CASINO: A man is playing cards at a table, looking somewhat desperate. He looks up. The camera pans up with his view to THE RECRUITER WOMAN, dealing cards. It's unclear what they're playing -- the playing cards are red and blue. She tilts her head.
RECRUITER: Another game?
CUT: A fat man with a breathing machine is playing at a machine. He's not winning. He looks over to his right, and makes eye contact with a middle aged man a couple of seats over. He's not winning either, and he has the face of high turning into realization and dread running over him.
CUT: EXT. STREET. A man is smoking a cigarette and talking on his phone as he walks into an alley. A young man is wearing a black mask and a black hoodie, and follows him into the alley, with a gun in his pocket.
CUT: HOTEL ROOM AGAIN: ADAM get up slowly. The man he's sucking off is overweight, old. The TV is flashing bright colors in the background. He's face to face with the OLD MAN. The music fades out.
OLD MAN: I love y--
SCENE 2: INT. THE GAME ISLAND. A big buzz is heard and ADAM opens his eyes on a bed. He's wearing a green jump suit, looking around, surrounded by a sea of people in similar beds waking up. Guards in red suits are walking around between the beds, as the camera pans out and tension builds. It cuts to black.
SQUID GAME U.S.
LOUD BUZZ again. People are moving across in lines that look more like a soviet prison than a pastel north korean glory project. People are walking around cubist corridors while classical music plays.
A HISPANIC MAN, PLAYER 124 is looking around nervously, swearing and praying. Another HISPANIC MAN, 45, BULKY, PLAYER 5, walks infront of him.
PLAYER 5 (spanish):
Can you shut the fuck up?
PLAYER 124: (spanish): They got us, man, they're gonna send us back!
PLAYER 5 looks around. Theres guards with weapons and masks across the walls.
PLAYER 5 (spanish): I don't think this is immigration.
CUT: EXT. ON A BOAT: Same classical music is playing.
A MAN, ERIC SCHWULTZER in sunglasses and a polo shirt is riding a boat. The wind blows in his hair, and he is moving towards an island. When he gets off, another man in a polo shirt, FRED, greets him and shakes his hand. A woman next to him hands him a drink. We hear their mumbled speech, and they get moving from the coast.
INT. GAME ISLAND. It's a fancy, modern room, with a view to the ocean.
FRED: If it isn't the Schwultzer himself. What an honor to have you here, man. It's about time the tech god makes it to Squid Game Island. Make yourself at home.
ERIC takes his sunglasses off and put them in the collar of his shirt.
ERIC: It's a fancy place you got going here.
FRED: Oh, just you wait man, it's a real show.
ERIC: Can't tell Sophie about this, or she'll kill me that I didn't bring her.
FRED: The stuff we'll see isn't for a woman to stomach.
FRED laughs in ERIC's face. ERIC smiles, confused but polite.
FRED: Well, lunch is at 2, then the show starts by 4. We can head down to the beach after and grab some beers, but the aftershow is usually pretty great.
ERIC hold up a fancy, black invite card between his fingers. It has a shiny square, triangle and circle ingrained to it.
ERIC: Well, you tell me, man, I don't know what I'm up to.
FRED walks up to him and puts a hand on ERIC's shoulder.
FRED takes of his own sunglasses.
FRED: Oh, man. You really don't.
SCENE: INT. BUNKS
ADAM is sitting on his bed. PLAYER 65, 21 y/o, comes towards him.
PLAYER 65: Hi. I'm Melvin.
ADAM looks up.
ADAM: Hi.
MELVIN: So, weird place, huh?
ADAM: (shrugs) Could be worse.
MELVIN: (laughs) Yeah, sure. (beat) You've ever been on the streets?
ADAM (suprised): Yeah.
MELVIN (brings hand to chest): I mean, same. (Laugh)
He sits down.
MELVIN: I just hope this isn't a weird goverment thing, for like--
He gives ADAM a glance.
ADAM: What, like some Project 2025 shit?
ADAM looks around and shrugs.
ADAM: Nah, I think it's some game show or something, I don't know. They gave me money, so.
MELVIN (pensive): Me too. (beat) And I really need it.
ADAM: Yeah.
ADAM puts out his hand.
ADAM: Adam.
MELVIN, suprised, shakes it.
MELVIN: Maybe we should make pacts. You think so?
ADAM: I dunno if this is a team sort of thing.
MELVIN: I think people are already teaming up.
He eyes a group of hispanics sitting a bit over.
MELVIN: Maybe we could invite that girl.
He nods towards a LEAN BROWN GIRL, MADDY, sitting silently on a bed a couple beds over.
ADAM (eyes): What, you wanna put toghether a team of queers or something?
MELVIN (shrugs defensively): Nah, it was just an idea, I don't know ...
They laugh. A sense of trust has been built.
MELVIN: So, what did you bring for your one item?
ADAM: A knife.
MELVIN'S eyes bug out.
MELVIN: ...wh- what? You brought a knife?
ADAM: I mean, yeah. (He flashes it in the collar of his pants under his shirt.) What did you bring?
MELVIN brings out a copy of Richard Silken's CRUSH: Collected Poems.
ADAM: ... you brought ... a Silken's book?
MELVIN (panicking): I just wanted something to read I mean -- you think I'm gonna need a knife? I'm---
ADAM: -- whoa whoa, look, I'm sure you don't need a knife --
MELVIN looks around the room in panic. They're surrounded by pretty tough looking dudes. ADAM grabs him.
ADAM: Look, it's just useful for like, cutting rope and stuff. And if something happens, I have the knife, so, just stay by me, alright?
MELVIN nods and gives him a hug, crying.
ADAM: Hey, stop that, we look gay.
MELVIN: Oh, I thought --
ADAM (angry): I mean, yeah, I just mean around these people.
MELVIN: Oh, yeah, this is like a prison. Fuck. My momma always said I wouldn't survive prison.
ADAM: But, y'know, if someone else asks, you could say you got a knife.
In another part of the room, PLAYER 432, a white 27 y/o male is talking to PLAYER 8, another white male.
PLAYER 432: I'm just in some financial trouble with some guys at my local club, but it's all fine. When I get out I'm gonna get working on my tech stuff, and it's gonna be crazy. I'm the next Eric Schwoultzer, if I just get the right timing with shit.
PLAYER 8: Yeah, they never said how much money this was, but I'm hoping I can pay some debt and maybe get out of town for college.
PLAYER 432: College is a fucking scam anyway, but I'll help you get set up with stuff when we're out of here. You know us boys gotta help each other out.
PLAYER 432 gives PLAYER 8 a nudge.
PLAYER 432: My guys already helped me out when my folks where frying their fucking minds on opioids and I gotta pay it forwards, right? Besides, we're surrounded by these leeches tryna steal what's ours.
PLAYER 432 eyes the group of hispanic men sitting next to him. They eye him back, he knows they're listening.
PLAYER 432: Looking around here, you'd think you're in a fucking ICE camp.
PLAYER 5 eyes him.
PLAYER 5: Hey, gringo. You've ever been outside the United States?
PLAYER 432: No?
PLAYER 5: Well let me tell ya' somethin'.
PLAYER 5 leans in towards him.
PLAYER 5: I've came here through El Tapón del Darién, you know it? Eight days in the djungle. They tell you it's two. Then the djungle never stops. You start, thinking, we ain't ever getting out of here. If you sit down you know you ain't gettin' up. Just movin' forward. There this one family, six kids, one little retarded boy, 8 or somethin', his mama could barely carry him, he doesn't walk, he doesn't talk. Just lookin' around and shit, cryin'. You know what they did to him?
PLAYER 5 stares into his eyes.
PLAYER 5: They left him. Right there. The mother cryin' her heart out, just right there on the mud wailin' like a baby. (beat) That's the djungle laws. And when I come here? You think they give me hand job from a little white boy maricón -- he throws a side eye -- and a nice clean bed? Nah. They try to get you back. Good luck. I already been in the Squid Game. And I got that indian blood. But good luck with your crack head genes.
PLAYER 432 scoffs, but gets up and leaves with PLAYER 8.
PLAYER 145: So what's the plan chief?
PLAYER 5: (laughs) Chief?
PLAYER 145: Well, you've been across the gap, no?
PLAYER 5: You haven't?
PLAYER 145: No, I was born here, I'm from New York, I mean--
He looks around. Maybe he said too much.
PLAYER 5, "CHIEF": (english) Well, alright americano. (Beat)
CHIEF (leaning in): (spanish) I say we lay low. We don't know what place this is. But if things get bad, we get the weird white guys first.
He tilts his head towards a guy with long hair and a beard on the other side of the room, PLAYER 321. He's taken off his shirt and has nordic symbols tattooed all over his torso. He's talking and waving his hands around.
PLAYER 356: (english) I know the type of people running these places, alright? Don't tell noone but I have insider information. In fact I'm pretty sure this is what my buddy in Texas saw when he was scouting Google Maps last April. He said "they're aliens!!", and I'm saying "Man, you're thinking like, way to small. There's hidden symbolism everywhere, you just gotta know where to look, alright? I mean they even gave me this number, right? (Gestures to his shirt) And it's like, 3-5-6 ---
He continues talking. The woman he's talking to looks sceptical and frightened.
PLAYER CHIEF: Did everyone bring a knife?
People are looking in their pockets.
PLAYER 124: They said "you can't bring a gun."
PLAYER CHIEF: Yeah, no shit.
The group all holds forwards differently decorated knives, roughly the same size, except PLAYER 16. Everyone looks at him.
PLAYER 124: What did you bring?
PLAYER 16: (beat) I brought my mother's necklace.
He holds out a necklace from under his shirt. A tiny silver cross and a saint medal. Everyone laughs.
PLAYER CHIEF: Estúpido, they say'd a necklace don't count.
PLAYER 124: The little boy brought mommy's jewlery to a knife fight.
PLAYER 16: (smiles) I just got here, I don't have more than I have on my body anyway. Some cash, but they took it.
PLAYER 145, "NEW YORK": Don't worry Collarito, we'll get you a knife.
CHIEF looks around the room.
SCENE: INT. GAME 1. The players walk into a room shaped like an enourmous colorful parachute. Along the edge of the net is a blue ring painted on the floor. When they've walked in, 455 colorful chairs rise in a ring in the center, to everyones suprise.
AI VOICE: Welcome players. The first game is rocking chairs. All players must compete for the chairs in the middle. You will all walk around the marked circle while the music plays, and may leave the marked area when the music stops. The players that do not get a chair will be eliminated from the game.
CHIEF: (muttering) What is this childish shit.
AI VOICE: Once a player has touched a chair, that player may not be touched by another player. A player that touches another player will be disqualified from the games. The first round will have 455 chairs, and 456 players. Four rounds will be played. Good luck!
AI VOICE: (spanish) Welcome players. The first game is rocking chairs. All players must compete for the chairs in the middle. You will all walk around the marked circle while the music plays, and may leave the area when the music stops. The players that do not get a chair will be eliminated from the game. Once a player has touched a chair, that player may not be touched by another player. A player that touches another player will be disqualified from the games. The first round will have 455 chairs, and 456 players. Four rounds will be played. Good luck!
The VIP's are looking from above.
FRED: Oh man, it's about to start! Get ready man, god, I can't wait to see the look on their faces, it's one of the highlights.
ERIC looks at him quizzed.
All the players move to the blue line. MELVIN stands right next to ADAM. ADAM looks determined.
AI VOICE: Let's start! Vamos a empezar!
The music starts playing and the players are walking in circles, looking around nervously, leaning into the chairs. When the music stops, they bolt towrds them, pushing ahead. When everyone sits down, ADAM looks to his left and his right. It's a woman and an older man sitting next to him. He looks ahead. MELVIN is the last person standing.
He looks around, on the brink of a panic attack, but smiling.
MELVIN: Oh, I mean --
A silence follows. ADAM looks conflicted.
ADAM (under his breath): Ah, fuck it.
Last minute, ADAMS lifts his body from the chair, as the gun shot goes off. The room freezes. MELVIN has been shot in the chest. ADAM freezes as he was about to get up. MELVIN's body shakes, he looks at ADAM. He coughs blood and fall to the floor.
ERIC'S face is filled with fear and shock at what he's seeing.
Everyone watches MELVIN in silence as he lays there.
AI VOICE: Player 65 eliminated. Please get up for round two.
Noone gets up.
AI VOICE: I repeat, please get up so the game can continue.
People look up, noticing the guns pointing out of holes in the colored dome.
AI VOICE: (spanish) I repeat, please get up so the game can continue.
People start getting up nervously. A hispanic woman, PLAYER 545 is crying. THE SHAMAN looks like he might actually be entering psychosis, making weird circular movements with his arms, hands clenched, and breathing rythmically. People are talking worryingly and moving back towards the line. ADAM looks in chock.
PLAYER 545 falls to her knees, crying, begging.
PLAYER 545: No, please, please, get me out of here, for the love of God, it wasn't me, you got the wrong woman, I haven't done nothing, please--
AI VOICE: Please move to the designated area, or you will be eliminated from the game.
PLAYER 333: For the love of God, woman, get out of there!
PLAYER 16, "COLLARITO", gets back from the line, grabs the woman's hands and speaks to her in spanish as he brings her to the line.
AI VOICE: Now, let round two begin.
A chair sinks down into the floor, and the music starts. People start walking, in yet more nauseating circles. ADAM walks dazed, staring at the corpse infront of him. PLAYER 545 is crying, clutching a rosary in her hands. COLLARITO is holding her shoulders.
COLLARITO: Don't worry, there's only four rounds, just run for the chairs--
The music stops. Everyone runs for the chairs, pushing each other. To their suprise, one chair is empty. A BIG WHITE MAN, PLAYER 7 is choking a YOUNG WHITE MAN, PLAYER 8. Everyone sits on their chairs, terrified, watching PLAYER 7 choke him to death. It goes on for what feels like hours. PLAYER 8 falls to the floor, and he walks over and sits down.
AI VOICE: Player 8 eliminated. Please get up for round 3.
Everyone gets up silently and moves to the line. The two bodies lay on the floor, one bloody and one not. Two chairs disappear. The music starts, and everyone starts walking.
CHIEF: We gotta start killing people. The big guy will kill someone and we kill someone, alright?
COLLARITO listens silently.
PLAYER 5 "NEW YORK": Who do we kill?
CHIEF looks around.
CHIEF: Maybe the other maricón.
The music stops and everyone runs for their seats. ADAM is quick and reaches his seat before the guys get him. PLAYER 7 cathes MADDY right before she sits down, and starts choking her. Everyone else is sitting down, except CHIEF and NEW YORK. This was a bad plan. PLAYER 545 looks on in horror as MADDY is being choked.
CHIEF (muttering in spanish): let's let him choke the tranny and then we get him before he sits down. He ain't exactly quick.
NEW YORK looks terrified. He looks at the empty chairs, but nods.
MADDY is choking. She's trying to reach something in her pocket, but PLAYER 7 has her arm locked. ADAM looks at his dead friend on the floor. He gets up, pulls his knife and stabs PLAYER 7. Blood cascades from his neck on his face, and PLAYER 7 grabs ADAM's wrist. MADDY makes a slide for PLAYER 7's feet and he falls, dropping the knife. ADAM grabs it, and MADDY and ADAM each bolt to a chair.
Before anyone has noticed it, CHIEF has stabbed NEW YORK who's laying on the floor. He takes the last seat. MADDY looks at ADAM with an emotionless gaze.
AI VOICE: Player 7 eliminated. Player 145 eliminated. Please get up for the last round.
Everyone gets up to the line. Once theyre there, the chairs rise to a platform, surrounded by circular plattforms forming stairs up to the chairs. The plattforms are lit up around the edges like a stage. Dead bodies lay elevated on the plattform. MELVIN'S body lays with his head down, blood dripping down the stairs.
ADAM (yelling desperately): Let's play fair this time. No more choking or that shit.
The players watch in awe as half of the chairs disappear, 226 chairs.
The music starts and they're walking. ADAM looks like he wants to throw up. MADDY is staring at him from across the room. From her pocket, she pulls out brass knuckles with sharp, claw like spikes. ADAM looks around anxiously as the room spins. THE SHAMAN is doing what looks like sun dances. Tensions hangs in the air.
When the music stops, total chaos breaks out. Knives are pulled, throats are slit. People are screaming. Things turn to slow motion and the theme from New York, New York by Frank Sinatra starts playing. COLLARITO grabs the knife from NEW YORK's dead hand and slits another player trying to make a grab for it. PLAYER 545 runs with her rosary. People are being grabbed and pushed back as they climb for the stairs. It's simultaneously a game of rocking chairs and King of the Hills.
♫If I can make it there, I'll make it anywhere...
LUCAS is jumping up and down in slow-motion, mimicking slicing people. FRED looks almost cathartic.
FRONT MAN watches the show from his private viewing, watching player profiles go dark.
ERIC is trying -- and failing -- to hide terror from his face.
ADAM makes it to a chair. So does the rest of our mentioned characters. A FEMALE PLAYER is pulled in the hair by PLAYER 333 and tumbles down the stairs, hitting her head. When everyone sits down, surrounded by 200 dead bodies on the stairs, a couple of chairs are empty. Someone tries to drag themselves up to a chair, leaving a strain of blood behind her, but ultimately gives up.
AI VOICE: 229 players eliminated. Congratulation to the surviving players. You may now head back to your bunks.
SCENE: INT. VIP ROOM
FRED is pouring a glass of whiskey. LUCAS is playing on an iPad. Soft jazz is playing in the background.
FRED: Look man, don't worry. It's not like anyone's gonna rat on ya', try to EN-JOY YOUR-SELF! We're all in this toghether. This is what rich people are supposed to do anyway, I mean, we won, we're on top, you know the Colosseum and stuff like that. Our culture has always done this, before, you know -- he looks around as if watched, and lowers his tone -- all this jew-greater-than-thou attitude took over, you know?.
(BEAT)
FRED: I mean look at them, most of these are fuckin' M-16's or something anyway, we're basically doing the goverments job for them.
FRED takes a sip from his drink and grabs ERIC'S shoulders. ERIC looks down at the dying people beneath them.
FRED: They should broadcast this for the entire country to watch, if we weren't such pussies.
BOB is clearly out of it, half laying down on a couch.
BOB: Whoa, this is like, the only thing AI can't replace.
SCENE: INT. BUNKS
GUARD: Congratulations to all for winning the first game. Let us give some more information about the games.
GUARD: Now, if anyone has any objections and wish to leave the game, feel free to do so now. The same opportunity will not be offered later.
Silence hangs in the room.
LUCAS is pretending to be the guard, mimicking him in fake spanish.
FRED: Hey, maybe you wanna get the kid out of here before he turns into Dora the Explorer.
BOB is wearing sunglasses.
BOB: Huh?
ERIC: They wanna keep playing?
FRED (shrugs): They usually do.
PLAYER 124: (raised hand) If I play, I get to stay America, yes?
ADAM (to PLAYER 124): It's enough money to get into the States.
MADDY: It's enough money to get out of it.
GUARD: A US citizenship is a 5 million dollar investment. The total prize would be seven times that value.
PLAYER 432: Fuck. Seven green cards for these fuckers.
PLAYER 124 nods in determination.
PLAYER 333 (next to him): Man, how bad can it be in Mexico that you wanna stay here this badly?
PLAYER 124: Venezuela they have guns. Here only knife.
PLAYER 333 (mumbling): Oh trust me we have guns.
SCENE: INT. BUNKS, EVENING.
PLAYER 333: Hey, Conspiracy, you never thought of exiting the games?
SHAMAN: Nah, man, I gotta see how deep this thing goes.
His eyes are bugging and his body is moving too fast.
SHAMAN: Besides, I have a feeling, if you don't have the mark, they let you live.
He hold his index finger and thumb in the shape of an L and pushes the index finger into his bicep, lowering the thumb like pushing a button. He raises his eyebrows questioningly.
PLAYER 333: Alright, man.
COLLARITO is in one of the toilets. From one of his pockets he takes out a tiny box with Our Lady of Guadalupe painted on it. Inside, there are five blue pills.
He closes the box and we end on his face.
END OF EPISODE 1.
EPISODE 2: SPONSORED BY
PLAYER 545: They kind, they give you care
PLAYER 333: Listen lady, if you see an american citizen in here, it's because they don't give you health care.
PLAYER 545: You sick man?
PLAYER 333: Nah, I'm-- whatever. EPISODE 3: WHEEL OF FORTUNE themes: christianity-secularism necropolitics - marco polo - cowboys and indians - hide and seek w guns - wheel o fortune lines: why the fuck is it a squid game? You make electric cars! Who the fuck votes republican and makes electric cars?