Recent intel, which I’ve just shared with Jeff Sneider, leans towards David Fincher’s next film being called “Squid Game: America.” Yes, this is Fincher’s upcoming English-language remake of Korea’s “Squid Game,” which has been getting quite the pushback from his fans on social media.
Earlier this year, The Playlist’s Rodrigo Perez reported that Fincher’s remake had been brewing at Netflix since 2021, which is the same year “Squid Game” became this massive hit on the streamer. This led to Fincher putting his “Chinatown” prequel on the backburner and focusing on “Squid Game”.
Netflix has yet to comment or make this project official, but it’s definitely happening. Perez added that last year Fincher hired writer Dennis Kelly to work on the script. It is presumed to be Fincher’s next film, although I keep hearing “Strangers” is also a possibility (a little more about that one below).
Much like many of Fincher’s best films, “Squid Game” deals as much with psychological violence as it does with the physical kind, but did we really need this remake from him? He’s one of the great filmmakers of the last 30 years, and the idea of him doing this just feels .. off.
If Netflix wants Fincher to keep busy, and honor the contract he signed with them, then how about make another season of “Mindhunter,” or while we’re at it, an original film. There’s also that “Chinatown” prequel series which has somewhat gained a little more relevance after the passing of Robert Towne, who co-wrote it with Fincher.
Fincher has tackled remakes only a few times in his career. He directed the U.S. version of the ultra-popular Swedish film/novel, “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo”. Whereas a couple of years ago, he tried to remake Hitchcock’s “Strangers on a Train” with Ben Affleck, and that one has now migrated over to Netflix. I recently heard that none other than Brad Pitt is now attached to co-star with Affleck.
Regardless, whether Fincher chooses “Strangers” or “Squid Games,” it looks as though his next project will indeed be a remake. Then again, knowing his history with these sorts of things, it wouldn’t surprise me if Finch ditches everything and suddenly hops onboard a whole other unexpected thing. Stay tuned.