I can’t even imagine I’m saying this however… it’s sport over for the Saw franchise, at the very least for now. It has been confirmed that the upcoming Saw XI has formally been stalled and, at this level, won’t be launched within the fall as initially scheduled.
That mentioned, this isn’t a artistic subject. “We haven’t heard something since May,” Saw XI screenwriter Patrick Melton instructed The Hollywood Reporter. “It’s stalled at a managerial stage. It has nothing to do with the artistic or anything. There’s higher-level issues at play.”
According to the publication, Melton and his writing associate Marcus Dunstan submitted a draft of the script in spring 2024, which is arising on a 12 months in the past. Melton added: “The cause it’s held up is simply, there’s inter-squabbling between producers and Lionsgate. They simply can’t fairly get on the identical web page.”
Frequent franchise director Kevin Gruetert was connected to the undertaking again in December 2023, when it was given a September 2024 launch date. But followers had been gutted when the movie was in the end delayed for a whole 12 months, with a brand new September 2025 launch date in place. Franchise diehards hoped it was for the larger good of the story, particularly after the field workplace success that was Saw X. The tenth installment had actually introduced the franchise again to life in numbers phrases, garnering over $120 million globally throughout its theatrical run, which naturally had execs itching to make Saw XI.
What’s worse is the eleventh installment was set to cope with a well timed subject. Though plot particulars haven’t been made public for Saw XI, Melton in contrast the plot of the movie to that of Saw VI, which was written by Melton and Dunstan and directed by Gruetert. In it, lead John Kramer, aka Jigsaw (Tobin Bell), takes revenge on a gaggle of medical insurance executives.
“Saw XI could or might not be made, however we’ve a really well timed story in it, and I hope it will get made simply due to that,” Melton instructed THR.
“It faucets into the identical themes of Saw VI, the place you’re a citizen, you are feeling offended and annoyed with one thing, you are feeling like you possibly can’t do something, and John Kramer’s going to do it.” It can be fairly fascinating to see the Saw franchise go down this highway once more and the way they might do it otherwise, contemplating the state of the world in the intervening time — however sadly, it appears we could by no means know.
Lex Briscuso is a movie and tv critic and a contract leisure author for IGN. You can observe her on Twitter at @nikonamerica.
