Netflix has scrapped David Fincher’s English-language Squid Game spinoff. The project, developed under the working title Heckler, is no longer moving forward, sources close to the filmmaker tell The Playlist.
It was conceived as an American version of the Korean series, to be filmed in the UK. Utopia creator Dennis Kelly was hired to write it in 2024, back when Netflix was eager for an English-language extension of its biggest international hit.
Sources say the streamer’s priorities shifted after years of development and executive changes, and the project lost momentum as Fincher moved on to The Adventures of Cliff Booth. Netflix is now more interested in versions tailored to individual markets. One source stressed that French or Norwegian spinoffs are speculative, and no regional version is known to be in development. Netflix did not respond to a request for comment.
The cancellation also settles the question around Cate Blanchett’s finale cameo as an American recruiter. Many read it as a tease for Fincher’s spinoff; creator Hwang Dong-hyuk denied the connection, and Blanchett later said she was “wildly open” to returning to the franchise. There is no indication she was ever involved with Heckler, which was not developed with her character in mind. It would have been the franchise’s first scripted English-language extension.
Fincher has meanwhile wrapped principal photography on The Adventures of Cliff Booth, the Once Upon a Time in Hollywood follow-up written by Quentin Tarantino and starring Brad Pitt. A few days of reshoots and pickups with Pitt are scheduled for this month. The extra work, including rebuilding some large sets, is why the film will not appear at the autumn festivals. It debuts in an exclusive two-week IMAX run on November 25, 2026, before a global Netflix release on December 23.
The reshoots bring a change behind the camera: original cinematographer Erik Messerschmidt is busy on The Batman Part II and unavailable, so longtime Fincher collaborator Jeff Cronenweth — of Fight Club, The Social Network and Gone Girl — steps in. What Fincher directs next is unclear; the Chinatown prequel series and the Western Bitterroot remain possibilities. It will not be Squid Game-related.
Is Squid Game still continuing at Netflix?
The original series ended its three-season run in 2025. Netflix continues the franchise with the unscripted competition series Squid Game: The Challenge, and is now looking at versions tailored to individual markets rather than one American spinoff.
What is The Adventures of Cliff Booth about?
It is the Once Upon a Time in Hollywood follow-up written by Quentin Tarantino, with Brad Pitt back as Cliff Booth. Plot details remain under wraps, but the film gets an exclusive IMAX run from November 25, 2026, then lands on Netflix worldwide on December 23.
Where can I watch Squid Game in the UAE?
All three seasons of Squid Game stream on Netflix UAE. A regional release date for The Adventures of Cliff Booth has not been confirmed beyond the global December 23 launch.
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