David Fincher's Squid Game Remake Pays Off His 27-Year-Old Mystery Thriller With 77% On Rotten Tomatoes

David Fincher has already planted the seeds for the Squid Game remake he’s developing for Netflix in one of the best (and earliest) thrillers of his cinematic career. Deadline has reported that, as part of his development deal with Netflix, Fincher is working on an English-language remake of one of the streamer’s biggest shows. Hwang Dong-hyuk is already finishing up a second season of the original South Korean Squid Game series that’s set for release on December 26, 2024. But after Squid Game season 2 is released, Fincher will get to work on his American remake throughout 2025.

While this isn’t technically the first official Squid Game spin-off — Netflix has already released the unscripted offshoot Squid Game: The Challenge — it will be the first scripted spin-off to cash in on the franchise. Netflix hasn’t released any plot details, but the new show is confirmed to take place in America. A Hollywood remake of Squid Game is a major risk, as is any Hollywood remake of an overseas production that’s already perfect in its original form. But one of Fincher’s best movies proves he’s adept at handling these themes and can nail this kind of twisted storyline.

Fincher's Squid Game Remake Brings His Career Full Circle After The Game

Squid Game Is Essentially The Game On A Much Larger Scale

Fincher’s work on an American remake of Squid Game is bringing his career full circle after his 1997 psychological thriller The Game. The Game was Fincher’s third feature film after Alien 3 and Se7en, and it established his penchant for creating mind-bending Hitchcockian thrillers full of surprising twists and turns. Michael Douglas stars as a wealthy investment banker who receives a mysterious birthday present from his brother: taking part in a sadistic game that entangles a bizarre conspiracy with his everyday life. As the line begins to blur, he’s not sure what’s real and what’s part of the game.

While it was initially a box office disappointment, The Game has been praised for its unsettling atmosphere and the cast’s powerful performances. It’s since become regarded as one of Fincher’s most underrated movies. There are a lot of common themes between Squid Game and The Game. They both revolve around regular people whose real lives get caught up in a strange game from which they can’t escape, and they both build to a shocking twist ending. If Fincher’s Squid Game remake is anything like The Game, then it’s in very safe hands.

The Game Is One Of Many Examples Of Why Fincher Is Right For Squid Game

Fincher Has A Long History Of Twisty, Mind-Bending Thrillers

The Game is just one of several twisty, confounding thrillers that prove Fincher is a good fit for the Squid Game franchise. Se7en showcased Fincher’s ability to tell an intriguing mystery story and lead the audience along with each successive clue. Following John Doe’s murder spree is like a twisted game in itself. Gone Girl showcased Fincher’s ability to build an epic, character-driven narrative around a shocking plot twist. Like Squid Game, it has a high-concept premise, but it’s really about the people — it doesn’t get too swept up in the gimmick of that conceit.

A lot of Fincher’s best villains play diabolical games with the heroes. Gone Girl’s Amy Dunne fakes her own disappearance just to mess with her husband. Panic Room sees a band of burglars playing mind games with Jodie Foster’s single mother as she takes shelter in her new home’s high-tech safe room. The Social Network turns the creation of Facebook into a battle of wits between a group of college buddies. Squid Game presents the perfect subject matter for the next entry in the Fincher oeuvre.

Netflix's American Squid Game Will Have To Be Great To Justify Its Existence

If It's Not Great, There's No Point

Fincher’s English-language Squid Game remake will have a tough time justifying its existence. The original South Korean show is already a perfect take on this premise that’s available to stream in all its glory. If this new Hollywood remake isn’t at least as great as the original, then it’ll seem like a waste of time. This is the case with most American remakes of non-English-language productions. If a piece of world cinema is good enough to be remade, then audiences can just check out the original. The remake has to go above and beyond just to matter.

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Every time an international production makes a big splash, Hollywood wastes no time trying to make its own version. There are American remakes of everything from Parasite to Train to Busan in development, and they all feel so unnecessary when the originals are so perfect. It’s not always a disaster — the recent American remake of Speak No Evil was widely praised as a worthy successor to the Danish original — but it takes a really distinctive vision to make that happen. The fact that veritable visionary David Fincher is on board is a promising sign for Netflix’s Squid Game remake.

Source: Deadline

Directed by David Fincher, The Game is a mystery thriller released in 1997. Michael Douglas stars as Nicholas Van Orton, an investment banker brought into a mysterious game by his brother hosted by the wealthy. As the game continues to integrate into his life, he begins to see the cracks in the facade of the group's game, ultimately revealing a dark conspiracy at the center.

Writers John Brancato , Michael Ferris

Cast Michael Douglas , Sean Penn , Deborah Kara Unger , James Rebhorn , Peter Donat , Carroll Baker , Armin Mueller-Stahl

Runtime 128 Minutes