Picture Credits: Alamy / Netflix
Well, that just happened! We’ve been sitting on this for a while, but have been tight-lipped, but with season 3 now out, you know what we know: Cate Blanchett features in the finale episode of Squid Game season 3, setting up the future of the franchise and the 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 and keep it light.
The end of season 3 takes us to Los Angeles, California, with Player 456’s belongings and gold card being handed off by the front man. 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 is that Cate Blanchett’s involvement in the finale does not necessarily mean she has been officially cast in any future Squid Game project, despite some outlets claiming otherwise.
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.”
Blanchett has previously worked with Fincher on The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.
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.
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.
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, as first reported by us, is also tied to a neo-western movie called Bitteroot.
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. Still, we get to see how the games are handled in the United States.
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…
Did we get the tease early?
Lee Jung-jae actually teased Fincher’s involvement in the Squid Game season 3 finale at Netflix TUDUM 2025.
If you recall, he teased that the series was building up to a finale and nearly let slip one of the secrets. “It’s all building up to a finale,” Jung-jae said, “directed by Hwang Dong-hyuk and… Wait I almost slipped. You’re trying to get me to slip up? I’m not saying nothing else!” Lee Byung-hun then reiterated he would not spoil anything, but the fact that Jung-jae said “and…” definitely teased the involvement of someone else.
Lee Jung-jae at TUDUM teasing David Fincher’s involvement…
More to come…