Last Updated on June 5, 2025 by Ryan Scott
Update: Since this article's original publication, it's been revealed that Blumhouse is acquiring the Saw franchise rights from Twisted Pictures. That means Saw XI, or some kind of reboot, will be in the hands of Blumhouse and Atomic Monster, the production banner run by franchise co-creator James Wan. The original article is as follows…
Few (if any) horror franchises in the 2000s can claim to be as successful as that of Saw. Dating back to director James Wan’s 2004 original, twisted classic, the series became a tradition, giving us a genre icon in the form of Jigsaw, aka John Kramer. The franchise found new life once again in 2023 with the release of Saw X, which brought back Tobin Bell as Jigsaw once again. Lionsgate was looking to keep the bloody good times going with Saw XI, which was going to arrive later this year, just in time for Halloween.
See also: The SAW Films Don’t Play Fair, And That’s Why We Love Them
Unfortunately, much has changed. Saw XI was recently pulled off of Lionsgate’s release calendar entirely, with The Strangers: Chapter 2 taking its place. Filming on the sequel has not yet begun, no new release date was offered up by the studio and there are many questions left hanging in the air. While we don’t have answers to all of those questions, we’re going to go over what we do know at this stage and speculate a little bit as to what might happen in the coming months.
Saw X, which took place between the events of the first film and Saw II. It was a smash hit, taking in more than $125 million worldwide. Lionsgate was quick to announce a sequel, which was originally slated for September 2024 before being delayed to September 2025. Kevin Greutert (Saw VI, Saw X) was also announced to return as the director in February 2024. Things seemed to be going well, with Bell also confirming that he would return in October 2024.
Unfortunately, it devolved into radio silence rather quickly. With the release date creeping up and no word on further casting or filming cropping up, questions arose. Bloody Disgusting then released a bombshell report in mid-March with a source close to the production revealing that Saw XI was “totally dead.” That same report suggested that the rights to the franchise could be shopped elsewhere, which would almost certainly mean a reboot would be in order, rather than another sequel.
“We haven’t heard anything since May,” Saw XI screenwriter Patrick Melton told The Hollywood Reporter in March after the Bloody Disgusting report dropped. “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.”
While there are some conflicting reports, it seems to be that the producers and the studio are squabbling over the direction of the franchise. As for what that direction looks like? Melton shed some light on that, offering some vague details about the script for the next installment.
“Saw XI may or may not be made, but we have a very timely story in it, and I hope it gets made just because of that. It taps into the same themes of Saw VI, where you’re a citizen, you feel angry and frustrated with something, you feel like you can’t do anything, and John Kramer’s going to do it…The reason it’s held up is just, there’s inter-squabbling between producers and Lionsgate. They just can’t quite get on the same page.”
When it was revealed that Lionsgate had removed Saw XI from the release calendar, the studio did some work to try and dispel concerns that the franchise was in any way in trouble. “I’ve seen the rumors. They say it’s Game Over. You all should know me better than that. The game is never over,” Billy the Puppet said in a statement that was released by Lionsgate. It was a clever gag, but one with a clear message. The studio fully intends to make another Saw movie.
So, where does that leave us? Frustratingly in an uncertain place. For now, Lionsgate seems intent on continuing the series in some way. Clearly, there are some issues behind the scenes preventing the planned sequel from moving forward. If those issues can’t be sorted out, then another version may be put together, be that by Lionsgate or someone else, depending on what happens with the rights.
If things do get to that point, there would be no shortage of bidders who would love the opportunity to tackle such a beloved property. The Saw movies have made more than $1.1 billion at the box office spanning more than two decades. There is a sizable audience here and Saw X proved that the audience will still turn up when properly motivated. Money talks and money is sure to get another movie going at some point. As for what shape that will take? That’s the big question left dangling for the moment.
Saw XI remains without a release date but stay tuned. For more, check out our list of 10 movies that will scare you the way Saw did.
