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| Webcomic "Money Game" has been made into a reality web show by U.S. YouTube Channel "Jubilee." Courtesy of Naver Webtoon |
By Lee Gyu-lee
Naver's webcomic "Money Game" is getting another remake as a reality online show in the United States, following a live adaptation last year by a Korean YouTube channel. This is the first Korean webtoon to get a remake produced overseas.
"Since this Korean web reality show has garnered a huge amount of popularity, we have decided to make our webcomic's intellectual property (IP) into reality-based content in the U.S., which is the home of reality shows," Kim Bum-hyu, director of the global IP business at Naver Webtoon, said in a statement, Tuesday. "We intend to continue presenting Naver Webtoon's high-quality IP in various content formats to create synergy."
The U.S. YouTube channel Jubilee, which has over 7 million subscribers, released the first episode of the webcomic's live adaptation on Monday.
The five-part show invites eight participants of different ethnicities, occupations and religious backgrounds to live in a facility with separate cells for 10 days.
The participants share a pool of money, worth $300,000, to spend during their stay and the rest is theirs to keep. As they can be eliminated through voting, they must play mind games to survive.
The show is directed by producer Mark Arbitrario, who edited the Emmy-winning show "The Voice." The U.S.-based entertainment company Transparent Arts, which houses singers Far East Movement and Tiffany Young, took the lead in the production.
The original webcomic, created by Bae Jin-soo, revolves around a man who goes bankrupt. He receives an anonymous call inviting him to take part in a money game, which he accepts. The game involves eight participants staying in an isolated facility for 100 days to share a total of 44.8 billion won. As time goes on, the game brings out the dark, violent side of humanity.
