Horror Franchise Comes To An Abrupt End As ‘Saw XI’ Stalls At Lionsgate

After 21 years of gruesome traps, psychological torment, and twisted morality, the “Saw” franchise appears to have met its own inevitable fate.

The long-running horror series, which began with James Wan’s 2004 original, has reportedly stalled at the studio level, leaving the fate of “Saw XI” uncertain.

The 11th installment was initially announced for a September 2024 release, only to be delayed by a year.

Now, writers Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan, who have been with the franchise since the fourth movie, claim they have been left in the dark by Lionsgate since submitting a script in May 2024.

“We haven’t heard anything since May,” Melton told The Hollywood Reporter. “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.”

“Saw XI” was set to be directed by Kevin Greutert, the filmmaker behind “Saw VI” and “Saw X,” which revitalized the franchise in 2023 with a return to its roots. Despite “Saw X” earning $112 million globally, zero progress has been made on the next film, according to THR.

Melton noted that internal disagreements between producers and Lionsgate have kept the project from moving forward. “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,” he explained.

While “Saw XI” may never see the light of day, Melton insists the storyline they developed is more relevant than ever, likening it to the social commentary of “Saw VI.” That film, released in 2009, centered on health insurance executives being targeted by Jigsaw, a premise that gained renewed attention following the recent murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

“’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,” Melton said. “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 horror movie franchise launched in 2004, becoming a box office phenomenon with its debut film. Made on a shoestring budget of $1.2 million, “Saw” earned a staggering $103 million worldwide, cementing Tobin Bell’s John Kramer (Jigsaw) and Shawnee Smith’s Amanda Young as horror icons.

What followed was a relentless string of sequels, with a new movie hitting theaters every year from 2005 to 2010, dominating the Halloween box office.

• “Saw II” (2005) – $147M worldwide
• “Saw III” (2006) – $164M worldwide
• “Saw IV” (2007) – $139M worldwide
• “Saw V” (2008) – $114M worldwide
• “Saw VI” (2009) – $68M worldwide
• “Saw VII” (2010) (Saw 3D) – $136M worldwide

After a seven-year hiatus, the series returned with “Jigsaw” (2017), which grossed $102M worldwide but underperformed domestically. This was followed by the Chris Rock-led “Spiral: From the Book of Saw “(2021), which flopped with just $40M globally, marking the franchise’s worst financial performance.

It wasn’t until “Saw X” in 2023, which brought back Tobin Bell’s Jigsaw and Shawnee Smith’s Amanda Young, that the series rebounded, earning $107M worldwide and receiving critical praise.

For nearly two decades, Tobin Bell has been the face of one of the most infamous horror villains of all time, John “Jigsaw” Kramer in the “Saw” franchise. As the series recently celebrated its 20th anniversary, Bell sat down with the Los Angeles Times to reflect on the power of horror, the philosophy behind Jigsaw, and how the role changed his career forever.

While Bell had a long career filled with supporting roles and background appearances, it wasn’t until “Saw”’s release in 2004 that he became a household name in horror. Speaking about why scary movies have such a hold over audiences, Bell explained that the genre’s power lies in its ability to create an uncontrollable, visceral reaction.

“It’s a visceral experience that you can’t control,” he said. “You’re not just sitting, passively watching. All of a sudden you (jumps up from his chair, startled). Some people like that. Not my cup of tea, necessarily.”

Despite playing one of horror’s most terrifying figures, Bell admitted that he wasn’t always a fan of scary movies himself. “When I was a kid I didn’t like going to horror films,” he said. “As soon as the scary part of a film would come up, I’d be down behind the seat.”

With “Saw XI” indefinitely stalled, the future of the franchise remains unclear. Lionsgate has not responded to reports of the project being shelved, and it is unknown whether Kevin Greutert is still attached to direct.

For now, it seems that Jigsaw’s reign of terror has finally come to an end, at least, until Hollywood decides to bring him back to life once again.