Look, I’m not going to make assumptions or speak to what people think about Squid Game. I can speak only for myself and myself only. I thought that Season 1 was absolutely brilliant. It was actually perfect. And after that cliffhanger ending, I was actually excited for everything else that Hwang Dong-hyuk had in store. I didn’t watch any of the reality shows and YouTube skits inspired by them because I knew they were utter garbage. I waited with bated breath for Season 2 and for Dong-hyuk to show the world how to play the Squid Game properly. Yeah, as soon as I was done watching it, I wished that he hadn’t made it at all. Hence, I was thankful when Netflix announced that the show was going to end with Season 3. But is that entirely true? Well, yes and no. Dong-hyuk has managed to, albeit haphazardly, close the curtains on the South Korean chapter of this game show. Now, his characters and this universe are left in the hands of all the other showrunners that the streaming platform will inevitably bring in to beat the dead horse until it’s reduced to atoms. Therefore, allow me to speculate about what lies in the future of Squid Game.
Spoiler Alert
Squid Game: China
One of the biggest plotlines that was left unresolved at the end of Squid Game Season 3 was that of Kang No-eul’s. No-eul had defected from North Korea in 2017 and was trying to earn the money that she needed to search for her daughter. She was recruited as a soldier for the titular game show, and it was during the 2024 edition of Red Light, Green Light that she recognized Park Gyeong-seok, who had entered the game for the sake of his cancer-stricken daughter, Park Na-yeon. In that moment, No-eul made it her life’s mission to reunite the father with his daughter, with or without the prize money. She succeeded in that endeavor of hers, and she was glad to know that, with the help of some kind of a fundraiser, Na-yeon had managed to beat cancer. Now, I thought that that was where No-eul’s journey would end. But a few moments after that interaction, the broker named Park Man-cheol, who ran some kind of agency to aid North Korean defectors, called No-eul up and told her that her daughter had been spotted somewhere in China.
I thought she would choose to not chase this dream of reuniting with her daughter anymore, but she did, because even if there’s a 1 percent chance for a parent to see their long-lost child once again, they’ll take it. That said, I have a feeling that she is walking into a trap. You see, out of all the VIPs present in the spectators room, one spoke Mandarin, which means that she is from China. Hence, it’s safe to assume that there’s a Chinese wing of Squid Games. And if they have any idea about No-eul’s role in the debacle that happened in the South Korean chapter of the game show, there’s a pretty good chance that they’re going to rope her in and make her play. What will they use as bait? Her daughter, of course. So, yeah, if Netflix greenlights a Chinese spin-off of the show, I think No-eul is going to be its protagonist. Park Gyu-young is a supremely talented actress, and after spending 2 seasons in the role of a soldier, it’ll be interesting to see how she performs as a contestant.
Detective Jun-ho Will Pursue In-ho
I don’t really know what the thought process was behind the whole Hwang In-ho and Hwang Jun-ho saga, but it’s clearly been left open-ended. In the 1st season, half-brothers In-ho and Jun-ho came face-to-face, and, in order to save his life a 2nd time (the 1st time was when In-ho donated his kidney to save Jun-ho), he shot him off a cliff and then ordered his friend, Captain Park Yeong-gil, to rescue him from the turbulent waters. But when Jun-ho came very close to finding the location of the Squid Game island, In-ho ordered Yeong-gil to kill him. That didn’t happen, and, against all odds, Jun-ho got to the island and found himself staring at In-ho. Jun-ho didn’t have a clear shot at In-ho because he was holding Kim Jun-hee’s baby. Even if he did, he probably wouldn’t have taken the shot because he wasn’t ruthless enough to kill his brother. 6 months later, when Jun-ho went back home, he saw that In-ho had delivered Jun-hee’s baby to his room, along with an ATM card linked to a bank account that had 4.56 billion won in it, since the baby was the winner of the game show.
That leaves Jun-ho with 2 options: he could either use that money to give himself, Jun-hee’s baby, Choi Woo-seok (the guy who was helping Gi-hun and Jun-ho with finding the Salesman and the islands), and Kim Mu-dong a good life, or he could use it to build an anti-Squid Game unit made of detectives and mercenaries to put an end to the game show and In-ho as well. Since Netflix has no intention of bringing the curtains down on this IP, I’m pretty sure Jun-ho will go for that second option, and we’ll see him following In-ho to the USA and restarting that same old cycle of searching for the game show’s newest hub and confronting his brother. To be honest, I want to see that happen, especially since the actors playing In-ho and Jun-ho, Lee Byung-hun and Wi Ha-joon, are so excellent. However, if the writers can’t come up with a good enough storyline for them, which isn’t just a rehash of what they did with them in these 3 seasons, then they should give this subplot a rest.
Squid Game: USA
The concluding moments of Squid Game 3 pretty much confirmed that a US version of the series is in the works, or will go into production pretty soon, with Cate Blanchett playing the Saleswoman or Recruiter. All the way back in October 2024, it was announced that David Fincher had been given the keys to a “new Squid Game series.” Fincher has collaborated with Netflix several times. You can say that he is instrumental in the worldwide popularity of the streaming platform. He’s responsible for House of Cards, Mindhunter, Love Death and Robots, Mank, and The Killer. So, yeah, it makes sense for him to helm the American spin-off or sequel. Also, this’ll mark Fincher’s second outing with Blanchett, with the first being The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. And, yes, I do think this’ll be a sequel or spin-off, and not a remake, because a remake won’t make any sense. The games in these 3 seasons of the show were rooted in South Korean culture. All the participants had played those games as kids. So, playing a demented version of it destroyed the sense of nostalgia they had for such activities and furthered the commentary on how capitalism destroys everything it touches. Hence, if American contestants are made to play deadly iterations of South Korean games, it’ll be pretty pointless.
I mean, that teaser has already made a pretty big mistake by having Blanchett recruit contestants via Ddakji. That’s a South Korean game. Why’s she using it in the USA? Is it to show that the South Korean chapter of Squid Game has become a part of the zeitgeist to such an extent that it’s the only believable way to recruit contestants? If that’s the case, Fincher and his team can dedicate an entire episode at least to making a mockery of all the American ripoffs of Squid Game, thereby critiquing the practice of cultural appropriation. After that, they can start weaponizing US-based children’s games to traumatize all the poor people who are looking to earn billions of dollars at the cost of class solidarity. Will I be actively tuning in to watch that just because I’m a fan of David Fincher and Cate Blanchett? No. I’ve had my fill of Squid Game. I don’t think I’ll be missing out on anything if I don’t watch it. That said, if the burden of covering the show is put on my frail shoulders, I’ll get the job done. Anyway, these are my theories about the future of Squid Game. What are your expectations from the same? Feel free to share in the comments section below.
