A lot goes down by the end of Squid Game Season 3, but its final scene is arguably the most pivotal – and its unexpected cameo sets the stage for David Fincher’s American spinoff.
Be warned, if you haven’t watched Season 3, you’re about to read some big spoilers. Hwang Dong-hyuk warned us Squid Game wouldn’t have a happy ending. That said, it could have been much worse.
Yes, Gi-hun sacrificed himself to save Jun-hee’s baby in Sky Squid Game (he even got to deliver one of the show’s best lines to the VIPs and the audience, “Humans are…”). But the Front Man clearly respected him, so much so that he delivered Gi-hun’s gold card to his daughter in Los Angeles after his death and the No Time to Die-style destruction of the Korean island.
This is where things get really interesting. As the Front Man drives through Los Angeles, he hears a familiar sound of slapping and frustration – and then comes a massive cameo.
Was that Cate Blanchett at the end of Squid Game Season 3?
Yes! Cate Blanchett appears as the Recruiter for an American version of Squid Game at the end of Season 3, playing ddakji with a man in an alleyway and slapping him over and over again.
As she smacks him, she turns and sees the Front Man looking out of his window. They don’t say anything to each other, but it’s a tense stare-off; she slightly smiles at him, clearly aware that he’s involved in the games, and as he looks away, it’s hard to tell how he feels; sad, curious, or perhaps both.
“Alright, let’s go again,” the man asks, and Blanchett’s character nods and says, “As you wish.” He keeps failing to flip the envelope, and we see her slapping him again and again as the finale cuts to black.
Is David Fincher making an American Squid Game?
David Fincher is developing an American version of Squid Game set within the show’s universe, but it’s unclear who else will star in it, if the Front Man will crossover into the new series, or when it’ll be released.
Fincher’s involvement in an English-language take on Squid Game was first reported in October 2024. In an interview with The Wrap later that year, Hwang confirmed the project was in the works.
“I know Netflix has a plan. They are not going to throw this idea away,” he said.
“Maybe I’ll be in one of those projects as an advisor or co-creator. Who knows? But Season 3 is not going to be the end of the Squid Game universe.”
There had been speculation that an American version would involve Westernized playground games and other challenges, but the fact that Blanchett’s Recruiter is seen playing ddakji suggests some sort of cultural crossover. Perhaps Fincher’s series will lean into the popularity of Korean culture off the back of Squid Game.
Season 3 is streaming now. In the meantime, check out our breakdown of every Squid Game challenge ranked by difficulty, the secret meaning of the show’s shapes, and our list of the best TV shows of all time.
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