The final moments of Squid Gameseemed to promise something much bigger. Cate Blanchett’s surprise cameo immediately fueled speculation that Netflix was setting the stage for an English-language continuation of its global phenomenon, especially after years of reports linking David Fincher to a new project set in the same universe. For many fans, it looked like the franchise was about to expand in its most exciting direction yet, trading South Korea for a new deadly competition under one of Hollywood’s most acclaimed filmmakers. It was the kind of ending designed to keep audiences talking long after the credits rolled, with many assuming they had just witnessed the first tease for Squid Game‘s future. Now, a new report suggests that future may not be unfolding the way fans expected.
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According to The Playlist, David Fincher’s long-rumored English-language Squid Game project has reportedly been scrapped. The report claims the filmmaker, who was said to be developing the series under the working title Heckler, has instead shifted his attention to The Adventures of Cliff Booth, his upcoming follow-up to Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood. While Netflix has yet to comment publicly on the report, it marks a surprising turn for a project that had been rumored for years and appeared to receive its biggest nod yet with Blanchett’s appearance in the Squid Game finale.
Squid Game‘s Ending Suddenly Looks Very Different
Much of the excitement surrounding Blanchett’s cameo came from what it appeared to represent. Her brief appearance as an American recruiter mirrored the role played by Gong Yoo in the original series, suggesting the deadly competition had expanded beyond South Korea. Even before the finale aired, reports had consistently linked Fincher to an English-language Squid Game project, making the ending feel less like a fun cameo and more like a deliberate handoff to the franchise’s next chapter. Adding another layer to the speculation, Blanchett previously starred in David Fincher’s The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. While her cameo was never officially tied to Fincher’s reported Squid Game project, the existing relationship between the filmmaker and Oscar winner only fueled fan theories that the finale was teasing his long-rumored series.
Creator Hwang Dong-hyuk later explained that the scene wasn’t intended to directly set up another series, but that didn’t stop audiences from connecting the dots. For fans already aware of Fincher’s reported involvement, the timing felt too perfect to ignore. Blanchett’s appearance quickly became one of the finale’s most talked-about moments precisely because it seemed to validate years of industry rumors and according to the actress herself, she was “wildly open” to what her future in the franchise looked like.
Why This Is Such a Disappointment
If The Playlist‘s report proves accurate, the disappointment isn’t simply that another Squid Game project won’t move forward. It’s that this was the version many fans were most excited to see. Fincher’s filmography, from Se7en and Zodiac to Mindhunter, has long demonstrated a fascination with psychological tension, meticulous world-building, and the darker corners of human behavior. Few filmmakers seemed better suited to expand the Squid Game universe.
The report doesn’t necessarily mean Netflix is finished with the franchise. The Playlist says the streamer is still interested in expanding Squid Game, but may now be exploring different approaches instead of the Fincher-led series that had dominated speculation for years. That leaves the door open for future projects, but it also means the finale’s biggest tease may never pay off in the way viewers expected.
For now, Blanchett’s unforgettable final scene takes on a different meaning. Rather than serving as the first chapter of an exciting new direction for Squid Game, it may end up as a reminder of the franchise that almost was. For fans who spent years hoping to see David Fincher bring his distinctive style to one of Netflix’s biggest hits and potentially partner with Cate Blanchett, that’s a difficult game-over screen to accept.
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