Squid Game is arguably not just one of the most popular television shows since the dawn of the streaming age, but also among the most anticipated works in the entertainment industry. Now, a little less than two months from the premiere of the long-awaited second season, a new report suggests that Netflix is entertaining the idea of an English-language remake, helmed by a director we all know and love.
Nothing rings quite truer for post-modern audiences than the idea of a lethal competition where you either get lucky and live to fight another day, or you succumb to that most terrible, inevitable doom awaiting us all. I don’t know what it says about us as a society that this is the story we relate to on such profound scales, but that’s probably the reason why Squid Game turned into such an immediate sensation all around the globe when it premiered in 2021.
In the eyes of the shareholders, however, Squid Game wasn’t a breath of fresh air in creative terms, nor was it a profound study of the darkest, often overlooked aspects of untethered capitalism. For Netflix, Hwang Dong-hyuk’s hit television show was a jackpot they hit almost unwittingly, and you can bet that they’re now doing everything they can to ride this wave until it’s completely exhausted.
To that end, it’s been reported by Deadline that the streaming mogul is thinking of developing an English-language Squid Game, and they’re in negotiation with David Fincher to take over the project.
It’s ironic to think that Squid Game, a story with such a dark undertone about the dangers of unrestrained greed, and a society built around capital as its most fundamental and inherent value, is now being drained dry. As one user pointed out, another Squid Game is “the most pointless idea for a remake” we’ve ever heard.
Now, if only the South Korean TV show had left something to be desired, we might have quickly come onboard with this notion. David Fincher is the unrivaled maestro of psychological thrillers. I don’t even doubt that he could make something great with the basic premise of Squid Game, but why not leave well enough alone?
A lot of comments under this X thread were asking for Fincher to make another season of Mindhunters, a popular series that was put on indefinite hold because the director wanted to tackle other projects. He ultimately confirmed that there’d be no more seasons of Mindhunters, but that wouldn’t be a good enough answer for fans, especially now that he’s entertaining doing a completely pointless remake for Netflix.
Fincher hasn’t discussed his next project yet, but this report makes sense if you consider the deal he has with Netflix. Perhaps the next major David Fincher project will indeed turn out to be another Squid Game, even if no one asked for it.
As for the original Squid Game, the show is returning to Netflix with a second season on Dec. 26. The wait has been long and hard, but at least the third season, the series’ last, will be premiering sometime in 2025.