David Fincher‘s English-language sequel to Squid Game is reportedly no longer moving forward at Netflix.
The project was never officially announced by the streamer, but it was being widely reported as far back as 2023, with Utopia writer Dennis Kelly attached to write the sequel, which was to be titled Heckler.
But now, The Playlist have reported that sources close to Netflix have said the project has been scrapped as the company reconsiders its plans for one of its signature franchises.
They still reportedly plan to expand Squid Game with different localised versions around the world, but no details of that have been confirmed.
Hwang Dong-hyuk, who created the original snow, welcomed the prospect of Fight Club and Zodiac director Fincher helming the American version, saying in 2024: “To have other creators from different countries take their own versions of Squid Game and be a part of the Squid Game universe, it is a huge honour.”
Speculation about Fincher’s involvement intensified after the third and final season of the original Korean show ended last year with the Front Man (Lee Byung-hun) travelling to Los Angeles, where a new recruiter was introduced, played by Cate Blanchett.
Blanchett and Fincher worked together on 2008’s The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button and it appeared that her inclusion was a tease for the start of the English-language version.
The actress said at the time that she was “wildly open” to returning to Squid Game in the future, but said she didn’t know anything about the proposed Fincher series.
In a four-star review of Squid Game season three, NME wrote: “With the parting reveal that Squid Game is much bigger than just South Korea through an A-list cameo that’ll steal your breath, the relentless cycle of capitalist exploitation and suffering is pulled back into focus. It may all feel like doom and gloom but the final episode is deliberately titled ‘Humans Are…’ It’s left up to the viewer to decide how they fill in that blank.”
Fincher’s next film is The Adventures Of Cliff Booth, which will see Brad Pitt reprise his Oscar-winning role from Quentin Tarantino‘s Once Upon A Time In Hollywood. It will be in cinemas from November 25, before arriving on Netflix on December 23.
