David Fincher’s ‘Squid Game: America’ Begins Shooting in Late 2026?

UPDATE: The Playlist’s Rodrigo Perez, who is one of the best out there for Fincher intel, is saying it’ll be more like a late 2026 shoot, if we’re lucky, for “Squid Game: America.”

EARLIER: David Fincher is currently shooting “The Adventures of Cliff Booth,” with Brad Pitt, until December. It looks like he’ll only have a few months’ break before hopping onto his next project.

According to Collider, Fincher’s “Squid Game: America” will begin filming next year on February 26. This is just a single source, and nothing seems official. It’s unclear who will star in the series, and Netflix—much like with any of their projects—is refusing to comment.

During the Season 3 finale of Netflix’s “Squid Game,” none other than Cate Blanchett made a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it appearance in the closing moments, dropping a major hint at where the franchise could be headed next. The final scene moved away from Korea and planted audiences firmly in Los Angeles, where Blanchett appears as a mysterious figure. Her role was credited simply as a “Special Appearance,” and for now, that’s all we know.

Regardless, Blanchett’s presence feels like a narrative handoff—a subtle way of paving the road for Fincher’s “Squid Game: America,” which appears to be very much moving forward at Netflix.

The project is not a remake of “Squid Game,” but rather a spinoff series that will further explore the mythology established in the original incarnation. Dennis Kelly, creator of “Utopia,” is handling writing duties. There’s still no word on whether Fincher will direct all of the episodes.

Fincher has an exclusive, multi-year deal with Netflix that was recently extended for three additional years. The filmmaker has been all-in on Netflix for almost 12 years now, creating shows such as “House of Cards,” “Mindhunter,” “Love, Death + Robots,” and films like “Mank” and “The Killer.”

As for “The Adventures of Cliff Booth,” Netflix is reportedly planning a “robust rollout” for the film, which is a spinoff of Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.” The film is currently eyeing a summer 2026 launch. Little is known about the plot, beyond the fact that it was scripted by Tarantino and picks up where “Once Upon a Time” left off, following Pitt’s enigmatic stuntman into a new story set eight years later.