Plans to develop David Fincher’s ‘Squid Game’, an American spin-off of the hit South Korean series, have halted at Netflix. Insiders suggest that the project lost momentum for various reasons, including development issues, executive changes at Netflix, and Fincher’s shifting priorities. Fincher is now attached to other projects, including the upcoming “The Adventures of Cliff Booth”.
Dennis Kelly, creator of the British series “Utopia,” was hired to write the series back in 2024. At the time, Netflix were looking to develop an American version of the series, created by Hwang Dong-hyuk.
The Squid Game series wrapped in 2025. Cate Blanchett appeared in the finale as an American recruiter, but is said to have had no involvement with the spin-off developments, titled ‘Heckler‘.
Allegedly, Netflix is looking at exploring versions tailored to international markets, with spinoffs in France and Norway – though this is unconfirmed. Netflix also never officially confirmed the series, a title or a production schedule, despite reports of its development.
Fincher’s directorial focus for now is on the reshoots for the upcoming Cliff Booth film, a spin-off of Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, written by Quentin Tarantino.
The film is set in 1977 Los Angeles and follows former stuntman Cliff Booth, played by Brad Pitt, who has become a Hollywood “studio fixer”. It’s set eight years after the events of Once Upon A Time In Hollywood.
It’s set for a two-week cinematic IMAX run from November 25th, and will be released on Netflix on December 23rd.
So, whatever comes next for the Squid Games franchise, we know Fincher will play no role in it. And whatever comes next for Fincher, we know it won’t be Squid-Game related. The burning question remains: will we ever see the return of those green tracksuits? Who knows.
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