Netflix puts chips on Hwang Dong-hyuk's Squid Game follow-up: The Dealer

The Squid Game creator's upcoming series, The Dealer, has been given the green light at Netflix.

By Matt Schimkowitz | January 14, 2026 | 12:28am

(Photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images)

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Netflix puts chips on Hwang Dong-hyuk's Squid Game follow-up: The Dealer

It was always a safe bet that Netflix would be dealing another hand to Hwang Dong-hyuk, the creator of the streamer’s most-watched series, Squid Game. Now they’ve made good and announced Hwang’s upcoming series, The Dealer. Not to be confused with the Apple TV series starring Jessica Chastain and Adam Driver announced last year, Netflix’s The Dealer follows a casino dealer who quits the games floor for a normal life. But after falling victim to a housing scam (she’s a good dealer but bad at telling when others are bluffing, we guess), her wedding plans fall apart. With little else to live for, she returns to the high-stakes world of card sharps, unleashing her long-suppressed powers to find that winning hand once again.

The series stars Jung So-min as Geonhwa, the titular dealer, Ryoo Seung-bum, Lee Soo-hyuk, and Ryu Kyung-soo. Additionally, Hwang will not be directing the series. Those duties will be handed off to The Thieves cinematographer Choi Young-hwan. Previously, Hwang was attached to a film called Killing Old People Club, which he promised would be “more violent than Squid Game.” Sadly, despite having an incredible title, Killing Old People Club has yet to materialize.

It isn’t hard to see why Hwang would be interested in another series decrying the ills of capitalism. Upon the release of the final season of Squid Game, Hwang said, “Elon Musk is everywhere these days, right? Everybody talks about him. Not only is he the head of a huge tech company that controls the world almost, but he’s also this showman. After writing [Season 3], of course I thought, ‘Oh, some of the VIPs do kind of resemble Elon Musk.'” We have to imagine Elon Musk is on the casino floor as well. We’ll wait patiently, counting our cards until Netflix announces a release date for the crime drama.

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