It looks like Netflix’s plans for a massive American Squid Game spin-off have hit a red light. According to a new report from The Playlist’s David Fincher whisperer Rodrigo Perez, the director’s long-rumored English-language take on the South Korean juggernaut is no longer moving forward.
As we’ve covered extensively here at What’s on Netflix, whispers of a US-based Squid Game series directed by David Fincher have been circulating for well over a couple of years. We previously reported that the series—often referred to as Squid Game: America—was potentially eyeing a production start in Los Angeles in late 2025, citing numerous production listings. That didn’t happen, with Fincher instead getting tied up with Netflix’s untitled Cliff Booth movie. Now, however, the ambitious project seems to have been quietly shelved.
Per The Playlist’s report, Heckler—the project’s working title—is officially dead at the streamer.
Here is a breakdown of what The Playlist revealed about the now-canceled project:
- The Writer: Dennis Kelly, the creator of the original British series Utopia, had been penned to write Heckler. (Fun fact: Fincher was once attached to direct an HBO version of Utopia before the project fell apart and Gillian Flynn took it to Amazon).
- The Location: While it was conceived as an American version of Squid Game, production was actually expected to take place in the United Kingdom.
- Cate Blanchett’s Cameo: When Blanchett suddenly showed up as an American recruiter in Los Angeles during the Squid Game series finale, the internet assumed it was a backdoor tease for Fincher’s spin-off. However, The Playlist notes that the project was never developed with her in mind, and she was not involved with Heckler.
- A Shift in Strategy: Why the cancellation? Executive changes and shifting franchise priorities at Netflix are reportedly to blame. Rather than putting all their chips into one massive English-language offshoot, Netflix is now more interested in exploring tailored versions for individual international markets (think separate French or Norwegian spin-offs, though those are just speculative examples for now).
That said, we’ve seen how Netflix’s biggest franchises don’t always thrive following the end of the mothership series. Stranger Things: Tales from ’85 is a perfect example of that, and Squid Game‘s reality series suffered a huge 80% drop in viewership with its second season, after season 3 had aired.
Whether this pivot, if it proves true, makes sense remains unclear. What’s funny is that just last year, we had to debunk a viral “Squid Game Cinematic Universe” meme that promised a wildly ambitious slate of spin-offs like Squid Game USA, Squid Game 1987, and Squid Game World. While that roadmap was entirely fabricated at the time, if The Playlist’s reporting becomes reality, it will have held a kernel of truth.
What is David Fincher doing next for Netflix?
As The Playlist notes, Fincher is currently heavily focused on finishing the untitled Cliff Booth flick, the highly anticipated Once Upon a Time in Hollywood follow-up It’s still expected to hit theaters and Netflix towards the end of the year although is notably missing out on the festival circuit thus far
Beyond that? Fincher has no shortage of options. He could move on to the Robert Towne-written Chinatown prequel series eyed for Tom Pelphrey, although there were reports that Netflix ultimately turned down this project, or—as we exclusively reported here at What’s on Netflix—the crime western Bitterroot.
While it’s a bummer we won’t get to see Fincher’s dark, meticulous take on the Squid Game universe, it sounds like both the director and Netflix are keeping plenty busy.
Are you disappointed that David Fincher’s Squid Game spin-off isn’t happening? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
