Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) with his hands on his head in Squid Game season 2Credit: NO Ju-han/©Netflix/Courtesy Everett Collection
By
Matthew Rudoy
Published 8 minutes ago
Matthew Rudoy is one of ScreenRant's Movie & TV News Editors. He covers the latest in movie & TV news, with a focus on major franchises like Star Wars, The Boys, and Game of Thrones. He wrote lists for ScreenRant from 2017-2022, became a news writer in 2023, a senior staff writer in 2024, and an editor in 2025.
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Squid Game creator Hwang Dong-hyuk has a new show in the works at Netflix. He was also the showrunner, director, writer, and an executive producer of the hit Netflix series that became a popular cultural phenomenon and concluded with season 3 in 2025.
Now, Hwang's next project is producing The Dealer, a Korean casino crime drama series that has been officially greenlit by Netflix. He is producing through his Firstman Studio Banner, which was also behind Squid Game.
The show's plot focuses on the talented casino dealer Geonwha (Jung So-min), whose plans to get married become more complicated after a housing fraud scheme. This leaves her with no choice but to return to gambling and the criminal underworld in order to regain control of her future.
The Dealer's cast of characters also includes Ryoo Seung-bum as the struggling gambler Hwang Chisu, Lee Soo-hyuk as the formidable casino player Jo Jun, and Ryu Kyung-soo as Geonwha's fiancé Choi Wooseung, who is a detective.
Cinematographer Choi Young-hwan makes his directorial debut with the series. Choi has previously received acclaim for his work on the movies Smugglers, Veteran, Tazza: The High Rollers, and The Thieves.
With all three seasons of Squid Game being the three most-watched seasons of all time for Netflix's non-English shows, the streamer is looking to further capitalize on that success in its next collaboration with Hwang. Season 1's 265.2 million all-time views even outperformed Wednesday season 1, which holds the record for the platform's English shows at 252.1 million views.
Despite this success, Squid Game season 3's ending was divisive, as many viewers took issue with the fate of Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae), the winner of the final game, and other creative decisions. Season 3 has a 51% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, a sharp decline from season 1's 85% and lower than season 2's 64%.
There have been rumors of a Squid Game spinoff, including reports that David Fincher would be helming an American version of the show, but nothing has been officially set yet.
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Want more context? Subscribe to the newsletter for clear analysis of Hwang Dong-hyuk's next projects and Netflix's strategy - insight into production choices, industry implications, and what his involvement could mean for Korean drama on global streaming. Subscribe By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.Hwang has been candid about the stressful process of making the original show, especially during Squid Game season 1, which caused him to lose "eight or nine teeth." The Dealer will not be as all-encompassing for him, as he is a producer but is not taking on as many roles for this project.
With Hwang attached to The Dealer, it is still likely to gain a significant amount of attention and anticipation. This is important for Netflix, especially after Squid Game and another one of its most popular series, Stranger Things, both released their final seasons in 2025.
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Squid Game
10 stars 9 stars 8 stars 7 stars 6 stars 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star Like Follow Followed TV-MA Action & Adventure Mystery Drama Thriller Release Date 2021 - 2025 Network Netflix Showrunner Hwang Dong-hyuk Directors Hwang Dong-hyuk Writers Hwang Dong-hyukCast
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Lee Jung-jae
Seong Gi-hun / 'No. 456'
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Wi Ha-jun
Detective Hwang Jun-ho
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