Calling Squid Game a phenomenon would be an understatement. Despite being dropped on Netflix with little fanfare, the dystopian Korean show spread through word of mouth, and suddenly everyone was watching it, discussing it, and most importantly demanding more. Now, three years later, we’re finally seeing the effects of this: another season of Squid Game is coming later this year, but if you’re impatient for more, there’s always Squid Game: The Challenge, the massive reality competition game show.
Now, there’s yet another Squid Game version coming to Netflix: an English remake, from one of the most iconic directors Netflix has ever worked with. But after everything else, is that really necessary?
Rumors of an English-language remake began last year after reporter Jeff Sneider claimed the project was underway from David Fincher. Now, there’s a second claim from The Playlist, which reports that Fincher has been quietly working on the series for two years, pivoting his focus from the Chinatown prequel series he was also developing for the streamer.
After two years, it looks like the project is finally shaping up, with British writer Dennis Kelly reportedly attached to the project. Kelly previously wrote Utopia, the British thriller series that had similar anti-capitalist and conspiracy-focused themes to Squid Game, so it’s likely the remake won’t stray too much from its source material.
An acclaimed director like David Fincher does make sense for the series — he’s worked with Netflix multiple times before on some of its most high-profile projects, including House of Cards, Love Death & Robots, and Mindhunter. He’s also the director of The Game, a classic thriller that bears more than a passing resemblance to the plot of Squid Game.
But considering the vast success of Squid Game, is an English-language remake even worth it? All of Netflix’s past adaptations have transformed the story in one way or another, but Squid Game would just be transplanting the events from one capitalist, classist culture to another.
If there’s any creative mind who can figure out a fresh take on this story, it’s David Fincher, but this new series has its work cut out for itself in order to justify its existence.
