The final season of Squid Game has arrived, but not without one last twist that has left fans floored.
*Warning, major Squid Game season three spoilers to follow*
Season three of Netflix鈥檚 ultra-popular Korean-language thriller, out now, picks up immediately after the bloody rebellion sparked by Player 456/ Seong Gi-Hun (Lee Jung-jae) in the season two finale.
In an attempt to end the deadly game created by a wealthy elite 鈥 where hundreds of cash-strapped individuals fight to the death for a massive cash prize 鈥 Gi-Hun re-entered the competition and recruited others to help stage a coup.
But judging by the show鈥檚 final scene, which features a cameo by none other than two-time Oscar winner Cate Blanchett, it鈥檚 clear the games will only continue 鈥 and on a global scale.
In the last moments of the show, the game鈥檚 Front Man (Lee Byung-hun) is seen being driven around Downtown Los Angeles. When stopped at a light, he hears the familiar sounds of two ddakji tiles slamming the pavement, followed by a loud slap.
Rolling down the window, he makes eye contact with Blanchett, who鈥檚 suited up and locked in a game of ddakji with a seemingly desperate man in an alleyway.
Blanchett and the Front Man exchange a nod of acknowledgement before the latter pulls away, leaving Blanchett to return to her recruit, who begs for another attempt.
鈥淎s you wish,鈥 she says.
The Ocean鈥檚 Eight actor鈥檚 unexpected cameo left fans in complete and utter shock.
鈥淲DYM CATE BLANCHETT IS IN SQUID GAME S3 ?!?!鈥 one wrote on X, with a second arguing that her appearance was 鈥渢he only good thing about the season.鈥
鈥淢Y JAWS DROPPED??? MOTHER?? IN MY GAME OF SQUIDS?鈥 a third added.
Another commented: 鈥淥mg I did not see this coming wow the gag of the century !! I love love cate.鈥
Speaking to Netflix鈥檚 Tudum about the T谩r star鈥檚 role, director Hwang Dong-hyuk explained: 鈥淲e thought having a woman as a recruiter would be more dramatic and intriguing.
鈥淎nd as for why Cate Blanchett, she鈥檚 just the best, with unmatched charisma,鈥 he gushed. 鈥淲ho doesn鈥檛 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.
鈥淚f 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,鈥 he noted.
Hwang remembered being deeply impressed by Blanchett鈥檚 talent while filming.
鈥淒uring the shoot, she reminded me of what true talent looks like,鈥 he said. 鈥淓ven with just a few looks and lines, her performance was mesmerizing.鈥
But her skills didn鈥檛 stop there. 鈥淪he was amazing at playing ddakji,鈥 Hwang added. 鈥淚 believe she successfully flipped the ddakji with her first try, and we were able to get that one long take right away.鈥
Season three of Squid Game is streaming now on Netflix.