Picture: Alamy / Netflix
Well, that just happened! With season 3 now out, you’ve got to the big surprise for the final season of Squid Game: Cate Blanchett features in the finale episode of Squid Game season 3, setting up, or at the very least, teasing the future of the franchise and the long-rumored potential US spin-off.
Important Note: Naturally, given that this article covers the season 3 finale of Squid Game, it’s filled with potential spoilers, but we’ll try to keep it light.
The end of Season 3 takes us to Los Angeles, California, where the Front Man hands off Player 456’s belongings and gold card. Seen right at the end of the episode, Blanchett is playing the same kind of role that Gong Yoo had as “The Recruiter” or “The Salesman” in seasons 1 and 2 of the project. She was instructing a homeless person to play the game of Ddakji, and if he lost, he would get a brutal slap in the face. In the credits, Blanchett is listed as a “Special Appearance”. The homeless man actor is Jesse Saler.
Our understanding, at least currently, is that Cate Blanchett’s involvement in the finale does not necessarily mean she has been officially cast in any future Squid Game project.
Speaking about the cameo in the follow-up Squid Game in Conversation, Hwang Dong-hyuk said, “We actually kept it a strict secret amongst ourselves for a very long time.”
Lee Byung-hun also revealed that despite being in the same scene, he never actually met the Hollywood actress. “We shot our parts separately with just a camera going back and forth. In the end, we parted ways without even saying hi,” although he adds Blanchett took the role seriously, saying, “I actually saw her practicing it for quite a while on set.”
Picture: Netflix
Also in the Squid Game in Conversation, Dong-hyuk teased why the world is still open up for more stories. “In this story, Squid Game is hosted by a specific group of people, but it serves as a metaphor for the real world, where capitalism fuels relentless competition. So until that ends, the game will not end. The game in Korea ended (spoiler) with Gi-hun’s sacrifice, but I wanted to show that the game was still ongoing elsewhere and that the world had not changed that much. We wanted to say: this isn’t really over. Plus, if it was totally wrapped up, our fans would be sad, and we wouldn’t have a reason to come back.”
What To Know So Far About Squid Game: America
While we’ve a full preview coming out later for a full rundown of Squid Game’s US spin-off, here’s a quick recap. It’s also worth noting at this stage – Netflix has yet to officially confirm any spin-off publicly.
News of a US remake has been a closely guarded secret at Netflix for several years now. Rumors first began circulating in early 2023, with numerous scoopers and insiders reporting that Netflix was considering a “remake” of the series, with David Fincher reportedly tied to the project. In case you’re not aware, the Oscar-winning director is working exclusively with Netflix under a pact that has seen him develop and release multiple movies and series, with more on the way.
Details have been slow to come out, but we do know that the project will be a series and serve as a continuation rather than a direct remake. Dennis Kelly, best known for Utopia, is reportedly attached to write. Over the summer, there was reporting from scooper DanielRPK that discussions were ongoing about renaming the show and excluding Squid Game from the title.
What about production timelines? Well, Fincher is now committed to a highly anticipated movie project for the remainder of 2025. We’re referring here to the Cliff Booth follow-up movie to Once Upon A Time in Hollywood with Quentin Tarantino behind the script. The director is also associated with a neo-Western movie called Bitterroot.
For the most part, most sources seem to agree that the series is currently titled Squid Game: America and is reportedly set to begin production in Los Angeles in December 2025, with the plot set in the same world.
Master Key Studios is behind the LA Unit for the series with Zeus Zamani and Rhett Giles as producers.
There’s still a lot to be learned about the future of Squid Game’s US spin-off, but the door has now been blown wide open…
More to come…
Rating: TV-MA
