When Squid Game absolutely exploded in popularity upon its release in 2021, you may recall rumours that David Fincher was going to be working on a US version of the series. Well, according to The Playlist, not only is the project still in development, but Fincher may have even put the Chinatown prequel series on the back burner to focus on Squid Game.
The report states that Fincher has been “quietly working” on Squid Game for the last two years and has even tapped Dennis Kelly (Utopia) to write the project. The report notes that it’s “unclear” where the Squid Game remake is at, but it could be Fincher’s next directing project, considering how he pivoted away from Chinatown, which has all its episodes written.
We should note that Netflix’s Ted Sarandos did shot down the Squid Game remake rumours earlier this year. After all, with a second season of Squid Game on the way, there’s not a great reason for the streaming service to do an English-language remake, even with David Fincher at the helm. The first season of the series still stands as Netflix’s most popular show of all time, with over 2.2 billion hours viewed. If the remake does move forward, I could see it taking the form of a companion series rather than a straight remake, with new characters dealing with a US chapter of the game.
Even if Fincher really is working on a Squid Game project, there’s no guarantee it will ever see the light of day as the director may just rival Guillermo del Toro when it comes to unmade projects.
Although a US version of Squid Game may not be a thing (yet), Netflix did fill the gap between seasons with Squid Game: The Challenge, a reality series which found 456 players competing for a US$4.56 million cash prize by competing in challenges based on those in the series… although without all the death. The streaming service has already renewed the reality series for a second season. “There was no red light in our decision to greenlight season two of Squid Game: The Challenge, the most ambitious unscripted show we’ve premiered at Netflix,” said Brandon Riegg, Netflix VP of Nonfiction Series. “We’re so excited to continue the franchise of Squid Game with our team in Korea, and producers at Studio Lambert and The Garden for this epic competition series.“
According to star Lee Jung-jae, the second season of Squid Game will debut on Netflix this December. When it comes to David Fincher, would you like him to tackle a Squid Game remake or move on to something else?