- Squid Game has become one of Netflix’s most popular shows
- Season 3 will end the South Korean thriller in June 2025
- David Fincher is attached to an American remake
A David Fincher Squid Game remake is headed our way if reports are to be believed.
After becoming one of Netflix’s most popular non-English language series, it was only a matter of time before Squid Game got an American reboot. Devised by South Korean director Hwang Dong-hyuk, the first series arrived in 2021 and quickly became a word-of-mouth megahit.
Read more: All we know about Squid Game season 3 as release date confirmed
It followed a group of down-on-their-luck gamblers who are offered the chance to win a life-changing sum of money by playing playground games. There’s a catch though: for their jackpot to grow players must die, with the last surviving participant taking it all.
Season 2 upped the ante by inviting the show’s hero Seong Gi-Hun (Lee Jung-jae) back into the Squid Game with a sinister twist. Fans will be able to find out how his story ends when Squid Game season 3 arrives in late June 2025.
Read more: Squid Game season 3: What to expect
In the meantime, news of an American-language reboot has continued to grow. Reports have been catalysed by one of Hollywood’s most-loved directors attaching his name to the project.
What else do we know about an American Squid Game reboot? Read on to find out…
Is David Fincher directing an American Squid Game reboot?
According to reports, Fight Club director Fincher is considering helming an English-language Squid Game reboot.
The news first emerged via Deadline in October 2024. While Fincher has yet to officially sign on, it could be the focus of his creative energy throughout 2025.
If true, the move would mark the latest instalment of Fincher’s continued collaborations with Netflix. He’s previously lent his name to a number of shows linked to the streamer, including Mindhunter and House of Cards. His 2020 film Mank starring Gary Oldman also debuted on the platform.
Read more: What is Squid Game star T.O.P’s net worth?
The same report highlighted that the project was still very much in its early stages and that little information was known about it thus far.
Not long after this reports emerged, Netflix boss Ted Sarandos hit the brakes by suggesting there was no immediate rush to remake Dong-hyuk’s series. “Since the main series is still ongoing, there’s no justified reason for Netflix to do a remake,” explained Sarandos during a visit to South Korea.
He added that it was “just a rumor.”
Despite this, movie site The Playlist claimed that Fincher has continued to work on the project, even going so far as to hire British screenwriter Dennis Kelly to write episodes. Kelly previously worked on HBO’s Utopia.
Is the American Squid Game remake part of a Squid Game universe?
While the status of Fincher’s potential Squid Game remake remains in flux, ideas have flowed about what it might entail and how it might fit in alongside Dong-hyuk’s South Korean counterpart.
The director commented on the show’s progression while speaking to The Wrap in late 2024. He even referenced a wider universe for the show.
“I know Netflix has a plan,” he told the outlet. “They are not going to throw this idea away… Maybe I’ll be in one of those projects as an advisor or co-creator. Who knows? But Season 3 is not going to be the end of the ‘Squid Game’ universe.”
Dong-hyuk’s comments suggest that perhaps an English-language remake could take place within the same universe but from a slightly different perspective.
This makes sense considering the original Squid Game’s reliance on traditional South Korean playground games. Perhaps these would undergo a cultural change in any American-language remake.
Will there be other Squid Game spin-offs?
In addition to Squid Game, Netflix has also produced a reality competition show that gave away one of the largest sums of money in television history. Squid Game: The Challenge debuted in late 2023 and a second season is currently in development.
Meanwhile, Dong-hyuk discussed other potential spin-offs during promotion for Squid Game season 2 in late 2024.
“When we were doing season one, I was saying there was never going to be another season,” Hwang revealed to The Hollywood Reporter.
“And so if the time comes, and it just so happens that I’m able to come up with a character or a different story, then maybe there might be a comeback. But I’m thinking more along the lines of a spinoff.”
He continued, expanding on his ideas.
“One of the ideas I’m tossing around is what happened between season one and two. There’s a three-year gap. So, for example, what was the Front Man doing during those three years?” added the director.
“What was the Recruiter doing? When I have some downtime, I like to just toss some ideas around and go wild with my imagination. So I guess we can be open to anything.”
