"Squid Game": David Fincher plans US spin-off for Netflix

While fans are still waiting for season 2 of "Squid Game", the universe of the successful Netflix series already seems to be expanding. None other than the "Seven" and "The Social Network" director David Fincher is said to be working on an English-language interpretation that is set in the same universe as the South Korean original, but is not a remake or a direct sequel.

What exactly Fincher has in mind is still unclear. The only thing that seems certain is that the series will be his next big project for 2025. This is reported by the extremely reliable industry magazine Deadline.

After "House of Cards": Fincher and Netflix with a new hit series?

This would be the first English-language, fictional extension of the "Squid Game" universe. Netflix has already tried to capitalise on the popularity of the series to reach an even larger audience with the reality TV game show "Squid Game: The Challenge" and plans for a video game adaptation. But Fincher's series could be the first "real" spin-off that really delves deeper into the dark history of the social divide that separates the original series from mere glorification of violence.

This is fitting for David Fincher: "Squid Game" interweaves socio-critical elements with suspenseful games, and it's precisely these kinds of dark facets that we know from Fincher, who has already created thrillers such as "The Game", "Zodiac", "Gone Girl" or "Mindhunter" have shown his affinity for psychological abysses.

The fact that Fincher and Netflix have long formed a strong team should be well known: in fact, as director of the first two episodes and executive producer of the remaining episodes of "House of Cards", he was instrumental in the rapid rise of Netflix in the early 2010s. He has also directed and produced other Netflix series such as "Mindhunter" and "Love, Death & Robots". So you could say that when Fincher and Netflix team up, the audience is in for a treat.

Although Netflix has not yet made an official statement, Deadline has learnt that the story will be set in the USA and will be written by British screenwriter Dennis Kelly. Kelly is best known for the series "Utopia" - and if "Squid Game" meets the American context in its interpretation, this could catapult the social criticism of the original series into a new, Western dimension.