Summary
Sawfans will be disappointed to hear that the next installment in the franchise may not see the Silver Screen any time soon, or perhaps, indefinitely. Disputes and behind-the-scenes disagreements have delayed the next sequel,Saw XI.
Lionsgatehas been struggling somewhat recently with its film line-up. One of their largest blockbuster outings,Borderlands, was a critical and financial disasterfor the company. The largest big studio flop of 2024 went all in with a show-stopping cast and a budget of $110-120 million but only saw a return of $33 million. Lionsgate quietly shuffled the film off to streaming platforms very quickly after its catastrophic theatrical release. Now, the company is suffering more setbacks and delays with its latest horror production.
The Hollywood Reporterhas revealedthatSaw XI’swriters have been undergoing a period of radio silence from Lionsgate. The creators of the script, Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan, handed in a draft of the film’s screenplay in 2024, and have been patiently waiting for a response ever since. When considering thatSawfilms used to be turned around in the space of a year, this stifled communication within the production team is a bad sign for the longevity of thefranchise. Melton confirmed that:
“We haven’t heard anything since May.”
Will Jigsaw And The Saw Franchise Return Any Time Soon?
According to the writers, the internal issues seem to stem from the top brass: “It’s stalled at a managerial level. It has nothing to do with the creative or anything else. There’s higher-level things at play.” If a script is ready to go, what’s currently holding the studio back?Sawhas not always had a first-rate critical reception, but the films have consistently proven that they are box-office cash cows, guaranteed to draw an audience, which issomething Lionsgate needs right now.
Saw X(2023) released to critical and financial acclaim. The film took place betweenSaw I(2004) andSaw II(2005) and saw John Kramer (Tobin Bell) back in the leading role as its main killer. Jigsaw devised a scenario to punish a group of phony medical professionals who were regularly defrauding cancer patients. He became aware of them after being trickedinto a fake operation to remove his tumor. The writers ofSaw XIare trying to recreateX’ssocial commentary, exploring the pitfalls of the US healthcare industry.XIis supposed to “have a very timely story in it”, reflecting much of the current discontent in America towards private insurance companies. In that sense, the sequel will have similarities toSaw VI(2009), during which Jigsaw goes after health insurance executives. Melton wants to reconnect audiences with their morbid curiosity towards Kramer’s work:
“It taps into the same themes ofSaw VI, where you’re a citizen, you feel angry and frustrated with something, you feel like you may’t do anything, and John Kramer’s going to do it.”
Sawhas had a lengthy and complicated storyline, but that’s never really been the draw for fans of the series. Audiences sit down to watchSawfilms regardless of whether Kramer is alive, seen in flashbacks, or working mysteriously through other characters. The franchise has a loyal, returning fandom that will continue to show up in support of these movies. Even if theSawseries is running out of steam and about to see its final days, the franchise should, at the very least, get a proper send-off with the release ofSaw XI.
