David Fincher's Squid Game sequel for Netflix has been canned
Squid is off the menu
All the way back in 2024 we heard about plans for David Fincher — director of Seven and Gone Girl, among many others — to make a Squid Game spin-off. But that project has reportedly been cancelled.
The Playlist cites sources “close to the filmmaker” who say Netflix is “no longer moving forward” with the project.
This may be all we hear of it going forward too, as it was never officially announced by Netflix.
Despite that, we do know a few bits and bobs about this Squid Game project. Heckler was the proposed title, and it was set to be written by Dennis Kelly, who created the brilliant original UK version of Utopia with Channel 4.
Not seen it? Utopia is available to stream for free on Tubi at present, and originally came out in 2013.
There were no major leaks about what Heckler would be about, but it was obviously intended as the English language version of the original Korean show.
The Playlists writes that while it would have been a largely American show, the plan was to set it in the UK.
Since the days of the show’s early rumours, there have been changes to Netflix management, and Fincher has become increasingly busy with The Adventures of Cliff Booth. That’s a sort-of sequel to Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, focusing on Brad Pitt’s character.
So what now? Netflix is not going to leave one of its biggest series to fester, of course, but the current suggestion is the streamer may expand out into multiple regional shows rather than focusing on a single English language follow-up. And, of course, Netflix has already confirmed a third season of Squid Game: The Challenge is coming. Goodie.
Since making the original Squid Game, Hwang Dong-hyuk has worked on Korean series The Dealer, another Netflix show that was confirmed earlier this year.
“The Dealer is a crime drama series that follows Geonhwa, a brilliant casino dealer whose wedding plans suddenly fall apart, forcing her to unleash her long-hidden powers and plunge into the dangerous world of gambling,” reads the synopsis. The show is expected some time in 2027.
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