Some scenes in the hit Korean Netflix drama, Squid Game, are getting cut out due to several prank calls to a real number featured on the series, via The Hollywood Reporter. The streamer and the local production company, Siren Pictures, will edit out scenes that have the number seen on screen.
In trailers and early episodes of the series, a card with a phone number on one side is given to the 456 competitors. Each player participates in a series of playground games — all with a deadly twist — and earns themselves the chance to free themselves of financial debt, and they begin that journey by calling the number.
However, instead of using a fake number like most productions, Squid Game used a real number that belonged to a South Korean resident. This has led to what The Hollywood Reporter describes as “an unexpected wave” of prank calls to the owner of the number. As a result, Netflix and Siren Pictures have decided to ax all scenes that feature the number on-screen in hopes of mitigating the several prank calls that have been given to the number.
The owner of the phone number spoke to local broadcasters about being harassed by prank callers, with many saying that they want to play the Squid Game, according to Reuters. They also said that they could not change their number due to client contacts. The Wall Street Journal reported that the person received over 4.000 calls a day. Other numbers, similar to the one seen on-screen, received prank calls as well.
Squid Game was a surprise international hit for Netflix during its September 17th premiere. The series has gained a lot of traction on social media, and it is the number one show on Netflix in over 90 different countries.