The American version of 'Squid Game,' titled 'Heckler,' has been canceled... Netflix "has halted the project."

It has been reported that the production of the U.S. spin-off of the Netflix original series ″Squid Game″ has been halted. On the 8th (local time), U.S. entertainment media The Playlist reported that Netflix has decided to no longer proceed with the production of the U.S. spin-off of ″Squid Game,″ tentatively titled ″Huckler.″ Originally, director David Fincher, known for ″Fight Club,″ ″Zodiac,″ and ″Gone Girl,″ was set to direct, and Dennis Kelly, the writer of the series ″Utopia,″ was scheduled to write the script. There were also reports that production would take place in the UK and filming would begin this year. The Playlist stated that due to changes in Netflix’s internal executives and years of development, the OTT platform’s priorities have shifted, and Netflix is now more interested in localized content tailored to each country’s market rather than a U.S. spin-off. Fincher’s team revealed that frequent executive changes at Netflix weakened the momentum for the project. It was also explained that Fincher’s focus on other film projects, such as ″The Adventures of Cliff Booth,″ caused the production of ″Huckler″ to lose steam. The possibility of a U.S. version of ″Squid Game″ drew attention when the final episode of ″Squid Game 3,″ released last year, featured the Front Man (Lee Byung-hun) playing a game of ddakji with actress Cate Blanchett in the back alleys of LA. However, Netflix has not issued an official statement. Currently, there are no reports of spin-off productions of ″Squid Game″ in other regions aside from the U.S. version. Meanwhile, the ″Squid Game″ series directed by Hwang Dong-hyuk, starring Lee Jung-jae and Lee Byung-hun, has become the most-watched series on Netflix, including English-language works. Season 1 attracted 265.2 million viewers, Season 2 had 192.6 million viewers, and Season 3 gathered 145.8 million viewers. It was the first Korean work to win at the 2022 Critics’ Choice and Emmy Awards. Director Hwang Dong-hyuk is currently preparing the Netflix crime drama ″Dealer″ as his next project.