It’s hard to believe that Squid Game wasn’t an instant hit, given its global blockbuster status, but Hwang Dong-hyuk, the creator of the series, actually struggled to get his project greenlit for several years. He wrote the initial script as a feature way back in 2009, only to have his idea rejected by Korean studios for being too violent and disturbing. It was only years later, when he reworked the script as a series, that the project was picked up by Netflix and greenlit for one season.
The series was originally set to be a limited series, but like the games have proven, money is hard to walk away from. So when Squid Game became an instant global hit, Netflix decided to expand the series further, giving way to a second and even a third season. The series just wrapped its third and final season, and while the story concludes Gi-Hun’s arc, the finale also serves as both a beginning and an end. The different storylines in the finale leave the door open for a series of spin-offs. Here are the top 10 ways we would love to see more Squid Game.
10. Squid Game Origins
It is one of the most obvious ways to continue the franchise’s legacy, but hey, who doesn’t love a good origin story? The creators of Squid Game could take us back to the very first Squid Game and, possibly, rewind even further to explore how Il-Nam and the other investors came up with the idea. The series could dive into the preparation leading up to the inaugural game, the way the architects and game designers developed the challenges, and the selection process used to find the 456 players. However, given the criminal charges against O Yeong-su, the actor who played Il-Nam in Season 1, it’s highly unlikely Netflix will bring him back.
9. The 28th Squid Game
The creators of Squid Game could also take inspiration from the makers of The Hunger Games and create a spin-off series that takes viewers back to the earlier games. Given how little is known about the Front Man, the 28th Squid Game, in particular, would spark a resounding wave of excitement and intrigue from fans all over.
8. Squid Game: USA
By the end of the series, we learn that Squid Game may have started in South Korea, but the greed and capitalism that fuel these games exist worldwide leading to the games spreading like wildfire to other countries as well. Out of all the theories out there, Squid Game: USA is the most likely to come true. If Cate Blanchett’s cameo in the series finale as the American recruiter isn’t Netflix shining a green light at us, then we don’t know what is. The rumour mill has been buzzing about Squid Game: USA for a while now, with Se7en and Fight Club director David Fincher rumoured to helm the American spin-off.
7. Children of the Game
Over the seasons, Squid Game has introduced us to several children who have lost a parent or caretaker to the games. And these are only the ones we’ve seen on screen. A spin-off series showing a special edition of the games recruiting the children or relatives of former players to pay off the debt their family members left behind would be interesting to see. We could even have Player 222’s baby, Ga-yeong, and Cheoul entering the games from within, with the aim of dismantling the system that took their families away.
6. The Pink Guards
There’s so many moving parts that go into making something as elaborate as Squid Game happen, the faceless pink guards are at the core of this movement. While the later seasons give viewers a deeper look into the lives of the guards that keep the games in check by expanding No-eul’s storyline in Season 2 and 3, it would be interesting to see a spin-off series about the other side of the games, focusing on how the guards are recruited, what they do to move up the ranks, the politics, and the underhanded bullying that exists between the different ranks.
5. The Front Man
In-Ho, also known as The Front Man, is one of the most fascinating characters in the Squid Game franchise. He isn’t gimmicky like the VIPs. Instead, he’s calculating, cold, and always one step ahead of everyone else. His history as a participant in the 28th game, his strained sibling rivalry with his brother Detective Jun-Ho, and his disillusioned belief in humanity offer multiple seasons worth of material to explore. In fact, Lee Byung-hun, the actor who plays The Front Man, has expressed interest in the idea himself. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, he shared that he and the director have even joked about the possibility of a spin-off series based on his character.
4. 456: Survivor's Debt
While we’re on the subject of official spin-off theories, Squid Game creator Hwang Dong-hyuk expressed interest in a prequel series. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, he shared, “I actually had this faint idea about possibly a spin-off, not a sequel, but maybe a spin-off about the three-year gap between Season 1 and Season 2, when Gi-hun [Lee Jung-jae] looks around for the recruiters. There is that three-year period, and maybe I could have a portrayal of what the recruiters, or Captain Park [Oh Dal-su], or officers or masked men were doing in that period, not inside the gaming arena, but their life outside of that. So that is some vague idea that I have that could possibly be developed in the future.”
3. Making of Squid Game
It’s impossible to watch Squid Game without wondering how the games came to be. Maybe a behind the scenes spin-off series that focuses on the process that goes into creating the games, from the architects that are involved in building the elaborate sets to the selection process that goes into shortlisting the VIPs to the hiring procedure that The Frontman has setup to hire the guards that execute the games, it would be interesting to see what the lives of all the people that are responsible for making the games happen look life before, during, and after the game.
2. The Black Market
The second season gave us a glimpse at the organ selling ring that the guards organise to earn some extra cash, but the story arc wasn’t explored to its full extent. Plus, if the guards are capable of organising a black market organ selling ring, there’s probably several other dark cash avenues that the makers of the show could explore with the game organisers, such as hosting a closed door betting pool to bet against the survivor odds in the game. Making The Black Market a far off but plausible theory that could be explored as a special or limited series, if not as a full blown spin-off project.
1. Squid Game: Player’s Choice
Squid Game is Netflix’s top grossing original series. It’s also a show that had the entire internet divided over the finale, given the choices the players made to save the baby. Which is why, even though it’s a very ambitious idea, it would make sense for Netflix to bring back the interactive style they introduced with Black Mirror: Bandersnatch and recreate an interactive version of the games for the viewers to indulge in. The multiple choices would create a more immersive experience for viewers and could traction a chart-topping response from longtime fans.
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