In 2021, a new series came to Netflix where game show contestants fought, bled, and suffered for a massive cash prize. No, I’m not talking about Season 3 of Love Island. I’m talking about Squid Game, which instantly became a global hit. Following the success of its first season, Squid Game received 14 Emmy nominations, and became the first non-English show to be up for Outstanding Drama Series.
There’s a reason why Squid Game earned so much praise. Though horrendously violent, Squid Game offers clever commentary on capitalism and socioeconomic inequality. More specifically, the show examines the lengths at which people will go to escape poverty — even when death is on the line. Set in South Korea, Squid Game follows protagonist Seong Gi-hun as he accepts a mysterious offer to participate in a game show, with hopes of winning the grand prize of ₩45.6 billion (which is equivalent to about $38.2 million USD). Surprise, surprise: The Squid Games turn out to be more lethal than he and the other contestants expected. In order to be crowned the victor, you must play — and survive — high-stakes versions of childhood games. The red light, green light doll still haunts me.
Two years after the show’s release, fans are finally getting an update on what’s next. Word on the internet is that a U.S. remake of Squid Game might be on its way. David Fincher is in talks to direct the American version of the show, having worked on popular movies like Gone Girl and Fight Club.
The first season of Squid Game ended on a massive cliffhanger, leaving fans wanting more. To refresh your memory, Gi-hun wins the Squid Games and, as promised, the cash prize. Just as he’s about to board a plane to New York, where his daughter lives, he notices a Squid Games recruiter at the airport. The first season ends on an ambiguous note: instead of flying to New York, Gi-hun chases after the recruiter, possibly in a pursuit to expose the games.
Clearly, Gi-hun’s story is incomplete. Luckily for fans of the show, Netflix confirmed in 2022 that Squid Game will receive a second season. While very few details have come out about Season 2, fans hope that the show will pick up from where it left off. Lee Jung-jae, who plays Gi-hun, will also be returning, making it likely that Squid Game will resume his story. With Season 2 on its way, why is it necessary to have an American version of the series? Can we pin this rumored remake on a lack of ideas? I certainly can, and I think countless Twitter users would agree.
One of the biggest issues that fans have with an American remake is that Squid Game is already an international sensation. There’s no need to “Americanize” it to reach a greater audience. As many Twitter users argue, doing so will only appeal to people who refused to watch Squid Game in the first place, on account of it being a Korean show. Other fans have jokingly tweeted that we already have a Western Squid Game, referring to the Cartoon Network show Total Drama Island.
If you share these concerns about an American Squid Game, don’t worry. Netflix has yet to “green light” the project — pun intended. Let’s just hope they prioritize getting the second season out ASAP.