There was a glorious seven-year period wherein the world was treated to a new "Saw" movie every Halloween. The first "Saw," directed by James Wan, came out on October 29, 2004, and it was an enormous hit, making over $104 million on a scant $1 million budget. The dour tone and themes of mutilation were coinciding with America's dark attitudes in a post-9/11 world. "Saw II" was rushed into production, hit theaters on October 29, 2005, and made even more money than the first, netting an impressive
$153 million on a $4 million budget.
The producers wanted to squeeze every last drop of blood out of the series, and they churned out "Saw" after "Saw," one a year, until 2010. The seventh film in the series, "Saw 3D," was the most expensive in the series, costing $17 million to make. It still earned over $136 million, though, so there were no regrets. By 2010, the "Saw" movies sort of outlived their cultural usefulness, however -- George W. Bush was no longer in office -- and it was a tactful time to bring things to a close.
But then, in 2017, nostalgia reared its head, and Lionsgate put out "Jigsaw." That was followed in 2021 by "Spiral" (the only film in the series to underperform at the box office) and finally by "Saw X" in 2023. The films have continued to be successful, as the $13 million "Saw X" still raked in over $125 million at the box office. The "Saw" movies may be one of the most lucrative franchises since the heyday of slasher films in the 1980s.
A "Saw XI" had (logically) been planned, and there was even a sequel tease during the credits of "Saw X." The project, however, has aggravatingly fallen apart. Since the release of "Saw X," the rights to the series have been acquired by Blumhouse, and no new "Saw" movies are currently in production. The reasons why "Saw" stalled are detailed in a recent interview with producer Oren Koules for Fangoria Magazine.
Read more: The 12 Worst Best Picture Oscar Winners Of All Time
The Creative Conflict Of The Saw Franchise
It was surprising to learn in June of 2025 that Blumhouse -- the premiere horror studio of the 21st century -- had purchased the rights to "Saw" from Twisted Pictures. The story was reported by Deadline, Fangoria, and others. A "Saw XI" had previously been announced, and a release date, September 27, 2024, had already been set. Several months later, however, "Saw XI" was delayed by an entire year, now scheduled for September 26, 2025. What was happening? There was a time when "Saw" movies came out like clockwork. A delay was anathema to the series. At least star Tobin Bell, who played the coldly moral death-trap engineer Jigsaw, was going to return, as he declared to the Los Angeles Times.
But then "Saw XI" crashed out entirely. The specifics aren't clear, but it seems that Oren Koules and his producing partner Mark Burg had creatively butted heads over what they thought the series should be. Without a consensus, the pair decided simply drop the movie and wash their hands of the franchise. Also, it seems that spending over two decades on a single horror franchise was getting a little dull. As Koules put it in the Fangoria interview:
"My partner and I couldn't see eye to eye on 'Saw XI.' It was the right time. We also sold the library, the ten previous movies, all of the ancillaries, the roller coaster, the escape rooms, all of it. [...] It's hard. Some ways, I'm bummed but in some ways I'm kind of free of it all. For 21 years, that's what I've been doing. [...] I want to tell other stories."
The roller coaster and the escape rooms allude to the many pieces of "Saw"-branded theme park experiences that have been built over the years. It seems that Koules and Burg just weren't interested anymore.
Blumhouse Bought The Rights To Saw
And the conflict between Koules and Burg was the central reason why everything evaporated with "Saw XI." Indeed, the film was already being constructed. A script had been written, a director as on board, and the cast was ready to go. But that wasn't enough, as Koules continued:
"It's not a big secret. Kevin Greutert was directing. Marcus Dunstan and Patrick Melton wrote. It was a great script. It took place about 30 seconds after 'Saw X.' Everybody was in. Everybody was in. Mark [Burg] and I just couldn't agree on the execution."
Koules said that when Jason Blum, the head honcho of Blumhouse, became involved in a deal to buy the property, that it simply went off without a hitch. Blum acquired the script and all the production details for "Saw XI, and is developing a new project, seemingly separate from the one that Koules and Burg were working on. Koules posited that Blum, more so than wanting the film series, wanted a big horror franchise to call his own for the express purpose of expanding it into ancillary media, like video games. If Blum has the rights to "Saw," then video games are certainly on the table. James Wan has announced (on his Instagram account) that he will also be redeveloping the new "Saw XI." Wan of course, is the hitmaker behind the first "Saw," and multiple other high-profile ultra-blockbusters besides. There's no release date for "Saw XI" yet, though, and no details about its plot. /Film covered the news when it dropped.
As of this writing, there have already been two video games in the franchise, "Saw" in 2009, and "Saw II: Flesh & Blood" in 2010. "Saw - The Ride" is a roller coaster still in operation at Thorpe Park in England.
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