Squid Game, the K-drama that pits disenfranchised people against each other in deadly games for a huge cash prize, has become one of the biggest series to ever hit Netflix. With its humanistic storylines, adrenaline-filled action sequences, and deeply felt social commentary, its popularity only continues to grow as new fans discover it on the streaming platform.
The survival drama features some of the most prominent South Korean actors working today, but if it was remade for American audiences, which talented performers could make the series just as special as it already is?
Seong Gi-Hun - Keanu Reeves
Seong Gi-hun is a down-on-his-luck father desperate to build a better life for his family by getting out of crippling gambling debts. The reluctant hero archetype that Keanu Reeves has come to embody over the last several years would serve him well in this role. Reeves is also notably one of the only A-listers who hasn't headlined a series in the era of prestige TV.
If there's one man who has captured what having nothing left to lose looks like, it's Reeves. His role as assassin-turned-rogue John Wick in the graphically violent — but no less beautiful — action franchise of the same name has made him an even more iconic star than playing Neo in The Matrix trilogy.
Cho Sang-Woo - Mads Mikkelsen
Known for playing cerebral characters capable of explosive action, Mads Mikkelsen has made a career out of making audiences wonder what's going on behind his thousand-yard stare. As Cho Sang-woo, Gi-hun's childhood friend turned competitor in the games, Mikkelsen would bring the right amount of calculating intelligence and brutal physicality.
A fixture of Danish cinema since the '90s, Mikkelsen exploded onto the worldwide stage when he played one of the best Bond villains, Le Chiffre, in Casino Royale. The actor gaine further notoriety for his unnerving portrayal of horror icon Hannibal Lecter in the NBC series Hannibal and the main villain in Doctor Strange.
Kang Sae-Byeok - Zendaya
Making a name for herself in mercurial and antisocial roles, Zendaya would be able to do justice to the cynical yet secretly compassionate Kang Sae-byeok, the North Korean defector who begrudgingly joins Gi-hun and Sang-woo's group despite being a lone wolf.
Zendaya has recently starred in the critically acclaimed Euphoria for HBO, as well as big-budget movies like The Greatest Showman and Dune. Like the character of Sae-byeok, Zendaya comes across as wise beyond her young years, capable of conveying the pickpocket with a conscience.
Oh Il-Nam - Morgan Freeman
The unassuming Oh Il-nam, with his childlike innocence that belies an incredible secret, seems like a character that the much-revered Morgan Freeman would have a great deal of fun with. The journey of the old man struggling to get through the games with a brain tumor would benefit from Freeman's particular brand of tenacity, especially when imparting worldly advice to his younger teammates.
Freeman has an enormous range, playing everyone from God in movies like Bruce Almighty to a morally ambiguous convict in The Shawshank Redemption, so the complexity inherent to this character's performance wouldn't faze him at all.
Ji-Yeong - Selena Gomez
Selena Gomez may be known to many fans as a singer and former Disney star, but the talented actress has started to embark on a career spanning other genres, including more mature movies and television. Ji-yeong may come across as a jaded young woman but beneath her edgy disposition is a genuine friend who reminds Sae-byeok about what's important.
In recent series like Only Murders in the Building and ironic comedies like The Fundamentals of Caring, Gomez is an ace at playing young, skeptical characters with an apathetic air that conceals wounded hearts with enormous capacities for compassion.
Ali Abdul - Rahul Kohli
Compassionate and selfless, Ali Abdul is a fan-favorite character who, despite having a family he's trying to provide for, constantly puts himself in harm's way to save his teammates in the games. As an up-and-coming star known for playing selfless, brave characters, Rahul Kohli would represent all of Ali's best qualities.
Lately, Kohli can be seen in two of Mike Flanagan's horror series, playing a Muslim sheriff in Midnight Mass and an adorable cook in The Haunting of Bly Manor, and before that was known for playing a doctor on iZombie. Surely, none of the gore witnessed in Squid Game would unsettle this pro.
Jang Deok-Su - Michael Shannon
With his imposing physical presence, Michael Shannon is great at playing villains, but he still manages to be more than a rote antagonist thanks to the complexity he conveys with the subtlest facial expressions. The character of Deok-su, who manages to seem like more than a simple street thug (he has the only prominent romantic relationship in the whole of Squid Game), would make ample use of Shannon's trademark intensity.
Shannon has played larger-than-life superhero bullies like General Zod in Man of Steel and sadistic authority figures in The Shape of Water, but he truly shines in ensemble television series like Boardwalk Empire, where his interactions with the other characters give insight into the inner workings of his own.
Hwang Jun-Ho - Henry Golding
As the intrepid and altruistic police officer Hwang Jun-ho, who better to go diving into the inner workings of the games than Henry Golding? The actor has become increasingly sought-after to play morally upstanding but conflicted leading men with complicated pasts.
Golding has recently been seen in everything from action-packed gangster movies like The Gentlemen to playing the love interest in Crazy Rich Asians, but he's received worldwide attention for starring in G.I. Joe: Snake Eyes in the title role.
Han Mi-Nyeo - Regina Hall
Han Mi-nyeo goes from being a frightened single mother desperate to leave the games to one of its most powerful players, and Regina Hall's ability to transform from meek and mild-mannered to tough and determined would make her an ideal choice for the part.
Hall has mostly been known for her role in the Scary Movie franchise, but in recent ensemble series like the thought-provoking Nine Perfect Strangers, in which she played a sympathetic but violent victim of adultery, she's proven that she can handle anything Squid Game might throw at her.
The Frontman - Ken Watanabe
In order to play the mysterious Front Man, the gaming warden who ensures the efficacy and efficiency of the games and their rules, an actor of considerable screen presence is warranted. Ken Watanabe, known for playing characters of great respect and authority with tragic backstories, more than fits the bill.
From The Last Samurai to Letters from Iwo Jima and Memoirs of a Geisha, Watanabe has proven he can convincingly play characters who vacillate between being incredibly cruel and powerfully sympathetic, just like the Front Man.