In an interview with Vanity Fair this week, Squid Game creator, writer, and director Hwang Dong-hyuk neither confirmed nor denied rumors swirling around a potential fourth, US-set season of the show. But given the massive celebrity cameo at the end of the third season—which was released on Netflix last week, a scant six months after Squid Game season 2—the streamer is planning some big changes for the smash hit’s next season.
Here’s what we do know, so far… and if you want to remain completely unspoiled, click away now.
Cate Blanchett, US recruiter?
“What’s Cate Blanchett doing here?” Vanity Fair’s Richard Lawson asked last week, echoing Netflix subscribers worldwide. In the final scene of the bleak third season, we see the superstar in an LA alley, seemingly recruiting a man for a stateside iteration of the game. Does that mean Blanchett has entered into a deal with Netflix, in which her character will be expanded? So far, no such arrangement has been made public, so her appearance might be more along the lines of Harry Styles in Eternals, a dangling thread that might never be picked up.
David Fincher, Squid Game USA showrunner?
Late last year, Deadline reported that “a new English-language Squid Game series is in the works at the streamer, with David Fincher coming on to develop it.” However, Netflix has never made an official announcement regarding a fourth season, an English-language iteration, or a plan to hand the deadly game over to the Fight Club director.
That said…when speaking with VF, show creator Hwang offered neither a correction nor a denial when asked, “Why did you have the series end in LA? Is it so that a rumored American spin-off by David Fincher can be made?” Instead, he said, “I wanted to convey that in this late capitalist society, the system remains strong, deeply entrenched, and powerful—and that these kinds of games are still continuing in the US.” Not a confirmation, but not a rebuttal, either.
But what about Mindhunter?
As you likely recall, Mindhunter’s Holt McCallany recently stoked hopes that Fincher’s beloved true crime series might return, saying, “There is a chance that [Mindhunter] may come back as three two-hour movies.” But “a chance” is also how they get hapless people to play the Squid Game, so let’s not base our lives around the possibility that the series might return.
An American spin-off is definitely happening, though, right?
Good question. Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, Hwang says, “Nothing has been said to me officially by Netflix about this. I’ve only read it in articles myself as well.” So if one is in the works, Netflix is playing things so close to the vest that not even the show’s mastermind is aware.
Hey, wasn’t there a Squid Game reality show? Maybe that will come back!
It’s 2025, bro, and anything is possible, but I wouldn’t hold my breath. Rumors of on-set chaos (and worse) plagued the single-season reality show from 2023, with some contestants mulling legal action due to an allegedly rigged and inhumane environment. After the show concluded, winner Mai Whelan complained that she hadn’t been paid a cent of her $4.56 million cash prize. So, no, probably not.
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