While an AmericanSquid Gamespinoff hasn’t been confirmed, the Netflix franchise seems to be setting the stage for some kind of sequel set in the United States. A few months beforeSquid Gameseason 2 came out,Deadlinereported that David Fincher was developing an American version of the show for Netflix, but nothing has been officially announced so far.
Despite the lack of confirmation,Squid Gameseason 3’s finalemade it difficult not to imagine what aSquid GameUS would look like.Cate Blanchett’s cameoas the Recruiter caught everyone off guard, and while it may not have been a sequel hook according to director Hwang Dong-hyuk,it’s fun to imagine what would happen in a potential AmericanSquid Game.
7Cate Blanchett Will Return As The Recruiter
Blanchett Would Be A Great Addition To The Spinoff
Squid Gamecreator Hwang Dong-hyuk has made it clear that Cate Blanchett’s cameo was not meant to have larger implications for the franchise. Instead,the director and writer ofSquid Gamewanted to show that the games would always continuesomewhere because that’s human nature, and the system cannot be beaten.
Hwang has also talked about how he needed someone who could have a strong presence with just a couple of lines, just like Gong Yoo did in the first season, and that they were very happy to get Blanchett. That said,it would be amazing to see Cate Blanchett reprise her role in aSquid Gameseries set in America.
An AmericanSquid Gamespinoff might be a tough sell, especially because of Hollywood’s history with remakes and turning standalone stories into franchises. But having an actor of the caliber of Cate Blanchett – a two-time Oscar-winner – be part of the project would surely make this potential spinoff more appealing.
6We Will Learn More About How The Squid Games Started
One of thebiggest questions after theSquid Gamefinaleis why the American Recruiter was playing ddakji, a Korean children’s game, in Los Angeles. One possible explanation is thatthe other versions of the games around the world follow the traditions set by the Korean Squid Game, which is what started this whole organization.
Therefore, we could potentially learn more about the first Squid Game hosted by Il-nam and his friends. We could also learn more about how and when this became a global operation, with games happening in other countries, including America.
InSquid Gameseason 1, one of the VIPs referred to the games as"the Korean games,“suggesting that similar games were happening in other countries.
Althoughthe mystery surrounding this organization is part of what makesSquid Gameinteresting, an American spinoff would be a good opportunity to explore a little more of this universe. We could also learn more about the VIPs and how the operation is funded.
Cate Blanchett’s character and In-ho seemed to recognize each other. I’m curious to see how much collaboration there is between the different Squid Games around the world, even more so after we saw the American recruiter playing ddakji.
5The First Game Will Be Red Light, Green Light
The American Squid Game Can Do An Actual Red Light, Green Light
There is a slight misconception when it comes toSquid Game’s most iconic game. Both the sub and dub versions ofSquid Gamein English adapted"Mugunghwa Kkochi Pieot-seumnida"into"Red Light, Green Light.“While the essence of the game is pretty much the same – you can only move during certain moments –the original song has nothing to do with Red Light, Green Light.
“Mugunghwa Kkochi Pieot-seumnida"can be translated as"The Mugungwha flower has bloomed"and can be used to count from one to ten (viaEncyclopedia of Korean Pop Culture).
This means we can have an actual game of Red Light, Green Light in the American spinoff, keeping the essence of the original show’s iconic first game but with a different song and some other changes.Squid Game’s iconography is too recognizable for a new show to just do everything differentlyafter all.
Gi-hun’s Character Arc Shouldn’t Be Replicated
More than shocking deaths and disturbing games,Squid Gamewas the story of Seong Gi-hun.Player 456 was an incredible main character and got the entire world rooting for him game after game, and it would be foolish for a spinoff to try to have a “new Gi-hun.”
It would also be anticlimactic to have a new main character who would just go through the same things as Gi-hun did. Instead,I could see an AmericanSquid Gamebeing more of an ensemble with multiple main characters.This would make it more difficult to predict who is going to survive until the end.
3Gi-hun’s Daughter Will Investigate The Games In Los Angeles
Ga-yeong Could Continue Her Father’s Mission
I feel like the best way for aSquid Gamespinoff to work would be to focus on new characters instead of relying on connections to the original series, at least for the first season. That being said,Gi-hun’s daughter is in Americaand is starting to understand what happened to her father.
Thanks to the Front Man,Seong Ga-yeong would now know where to start looking if she were to investigate what Gi-hun was involved with.Between the money and the jacket, Ga-yeong has enough leads to start looking into her father’s past and even continue his mission of stopping the games.
2One Of The Squid Game Players Will Be A Detective Undercover
The American Spinoff Could Have Its Own Player 001 Twist
If David Fincher is truly developing aSquid Gamespinoff, I could see a detective storyline being a big part of the show. Despite the disappointing conclusion of Jun-ho’s arc in season 3, his story was one of the most important parts ofSquid Game. While the games are the heart of the show, having a B-plot is also essential.
It wouldn’t make sense for the spinoff to just repeat Jun-ho’s arc with an American detective, but there are ways to make it different. For example, we could eventually learn that one of the contestants is actually a police detective working undercover to expose the games.
This would mirror Jun-ho’s story from the first season, when he dressed up as one of the pink guards to infiltrate the game.Fincher knows how to craft and deliver a great twist, and he could absolutely pull off a great reveal about one of the players being a detective.
Revealing that one of the players is a detective undercover would also flip the Player 001 twist fromSquid Game’s seasons 1 and 2. Both Il-nam and the Front Man joined the games undercover – the former wanted to experience the games before dying, while the latter needed to watch Gi-hun more closely.
1In-ho Will Return (To Stop The Games)
Lee Byung-hun’s Character Can Connect The Two Shows
Squid Game’s original plan for the endingwould have seen Gi-hun survive and reunite with his daughter in America. Instead, it was In-ho who reached out to Ga-yeong in Los Angeles and later ran into the Recruiter. As such,Lee Byung-hun’s character is now the biggest connection between the original show and a potential American spinoff.
The Front Man’s story doesn’t seem to be over, especially because he never had a conversation with Jun-ho after everything that happened. Gi-hun’s death and unbreakable spirit clearly impacted In-ho, who personally made sure that Ga-yeong would receive her father’s money.
We don’t know whether In-ho’s beliefs have changed, butthe way Lee Byung-hun played that final scene makes me think that the Front Man might be questioning the gamesfor the first time since Il-nam recruited him.
If so, I could see In-ho returning at some point in an American spinoff, this time as an anti-hero seeking to stop this organization once and for all. Lee Byung-hun already has an established career in Hollywood on top of his impressive resume in Korea, and it would be great to have him reprise hisSquidGamecharacter in an American spinoff.
