David Fincher To Direct Squid Game US Remake For Netflix

The rumour about David Fincher directing Netflix‘s Squid Game US has got an update. It’s being reported that he is now, indeed, at the helm of the series. Whether a remake or a spinoff, the project is not exactly clear, but Netflix has every intention of expanding the property.

Squid Game being the phenomenal streaming series hit for Netflix put Korean series front and centre. The premise of the show is a pretty simple one: a good number of people are playing childhood games for the grand jackpot of hundreds of thousands. Only people later realised they were playing to the death.

The series delved into the very real struggles of people surviving the world. Individuals who have issues that seem to have only money as the solution was gathered into one gaming arena. The episodes show different characters on both sides of the game, the players and the game organizers.

Apart from the games existing for years, perhaps even centuries, operating in the shadows, there were implications that these games also exist in other countries. In our previous report, drama creator, writer and director Hwang Dong-hyuk has actually laid out the foundation for the international spin-offs. In the interview with Deadline, he said:

I wrote the script in a way to hint that the Squid Game was happening in other parts of the world.

David Fincher Agreed To Direct Netflix’s Squid Game US

In an update from Jeff Sneider in the latest The Hot Mic Podcast with John Rocha, the US version of the Squid Game now has David Fincher on board as its director. Last time, Sneider shared that Netflix has their eye on Fincher for the US version of the series, and now, it has the confirmation that Fincher has already agreed to take on the challenge. Sneider updated:

I heard he’s (Fincher) doing it. The email I got said “you’re spot on! He’s working on it.”

The said email comes from one of his ‘very very good’ sources. Later in the episode, Sneider shared his thoughts about whether the Squid Game US would be indeed a remake or a spin-off. He said:

…when you say spin off, could you say they could just do their own American version then just find a way to connect it? …Since Season 2 of Squid Games isn’t necessarily finished being written… I don’t know.

It seems silly to completely remake it doesn’t seem like that’s what David’s approach would be. I just think that this is a fertile ground, fertile IP for him to play in. But I can’t sit here and say I know what approach he’s gonna be doin.

Rocha added:

If you accept that that universe is existing, other countries would imitate that situation. So why not? It’s certainly possible.

Netflix Succeeds In Getting David Fincher On Board For Squid Game US

netflix-working-on-us-version-of-squid-game

Credit: Netflix

David Fincher has been nominated for Best Achievement in Directing in the Academy Awards not just once or twice but three times over. The first was in 2009 for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, which arrived in theatres in 2008. The second was in 2011 for The Social Network, which premiered in 2010. Finally, in 2021, he got a nomination for Mank.

The director has been at the helm of movies covering many genres, such as comedy, drama, fantasy, and romance. He also covered mystery and thriller in Gone Girl and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, among others. His projects also include television series, mini-series, music videos and shorts.

As a writer, he also has three titles to his credit which were short films The Hire, Ticker and Beat the Devil. Fincher is definitely among the directors who have the requisites to make a thrilling series reflective of the extreme risks a person is willing to take to win in an all-stakes US winner-takes-all game.

What do you make of the rumoured update that Fincher is already working on Squid Game US for Netflix? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

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