When Squid Game aired in September 2021, it became Netflix’s most-watched series, racking up 1.65 billion viewing hours across the world within its first four weeks.
The show follows a group of financially-struggling contestants who must play life-threatening children’s games for the chance to win ₩45.6 billion. Squid Game was the brainchild of Hwang Dong-hyuk, who wrote and directed the show, which is in Korean.
When it aired, Netflix faced backlash from users for mistranslating some of the subtitles, resulting in many people refraining from watching the series. However, this didn’t affect the show’s viewing rates, which topped the streaming service’s charts in 94 countries.
Still, it is widely acknowledged that many audiences have an aversion to watching foreign-language media with English subtitles, as evidenced by Bong Joon-ho, who declared in his Golden Globe speech: “Once you overcome the one-inch-tall barrier of subtitles, you will be introduced to so many more amazing films.”
Sadly, many audiences are still unwilling to watch subtitled media, leading to an abundance of largely unnecessary English-language remakes. It appears that Squid Game is the next piece of media in line to receive an American remake, as teased by Jeff Sneider from The Ankler.
On The Hot Mic Podcast, he claimed that Netflix is working on “a U.S. version” of the popular survival drama. He shared that the uncertainty surrounding series two of Squid Game could possibly result in Netflix making its own American version of the show.
Fans are divided by the news of a potential remake, with some calling for an American spin-off instead, rather than a direct copy. However, others are completely against the idea, recalling the terrible English-language remakes of shows such as Death Note.
It is unknown whether Squid Game will definitely receive the Hollywood treatment, but the possibility seems likely if its track record is anything to go by.
