Squid Game Ends With A Shocking Celeb Cameo, Which May Tease A Spinoff

Spoiler alert: This post discusses the final scene of Squid Game Season 3.

Squid Game was never going to end on an uplifting note. The Netflix drama about deadly underground contests has always been just as smeared with cynicism as its candy-coated veneer, and its very last scene doubled down on the message that evil can never fully be defeated. While that’s a hard pill to swallow, at least the final moment gave viewers an unexpected jolt of star power in none other than Cate Blanchett.

The Oscar-winning actor makes a wildly out-of-left-field cameo in the Korean series’ closing shots. As Hwang In-ho, AKA the games master Front Man, travels to Los Angeles after the completion of his Korean games, he stares out of his car at a suited-up Blanchett, who’s playing ddakji with a man in an alleyway. As she slaps the man after his loss, it’s evident that her character is a recruiter for the games, and the implication is clear — there’s another underground game set up in the United States.

“We thought having a woman as a recruiter would be more dramatic and intriguing,” showrunner Hwang Dong-hyuk told Netflix’s Tudum. “And as for why Cate Blanchett, she’s just the best, with unmatched charisma. Who doesn’t love her? So we were very happy to have her appear. We needed someone who could dominate the screen with just one or two words, which is exactly what she did. If Gong Yoo is the Korean Recruiter, I thought she would be the perfect fit as the American Recruiter, bringing a short but gripping and impactful ending to the story.”

The casting has more impact than just a momentary gasp, as it seems to also be teasing a future for the now-ended series. Namely, a Squid Game spinoff that’s set in the United States now feels like more of a possibility than ever.

The concept of traveling to a new country for a different iteration of Squid Game was first teased in the Season 1 finale, when some masked VIPs observing the final game hinted that Korea was just one of the territories to host these lethal trials. “The games of this edition have been amazing,” one person said, with another adding, “The contest in Korea was the best.”

So, be prepared to start looking at hopscotch, four square, red rover, and any other typically American childhood games a lot differently, because a U.S. version of Squid Game would surely give them all a bloody twist.