While the rights of the Saw franchise were recently purchased by the horror masterminds at Blumhouse Productions, the future of Jigsaw and his wildly creative death traps still remains a mystery. Saw XI was in development for some time, but to the shock of everyone in the horror community, the film faded away before Jason Blum came in and bought everything related to Saw. Strangely, those in charge of the social media accounts of Saw never bothered to remove the Instagram post, and in that realm, Saw XI is still set for release on September 9, 2024. Fans still use the comment section to show their grief over the canceled project.
With the potential return of John Kramer, Kevin Greutert returning as director after having made the well-received Saw X, and franchise veterans Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan in charge of the script, Saw XI was a very exciting project. However, original producers and co-creators of Twisted Pictures, Oren Koules and Mark Burg, not only dropped the project, but they also decided to sell what they had built over two decades. Money could have been an issue, but Saw was their baby. What follows is our best guess at why Koules and Burg decided to cancel Saw XI and then sold their most valuable asset.
Why Was ‘Saw XI’ Cancelled?
Apparently, the problems with Saw XI started in January 2024, when the producers began colliding over the sequel’s direction. They did not agree on anything, and the sequel ended up hitting a roadblock. Concerns over Tobin Bell’s age were added to the equation, and there were no updates on the development of the highly anticipated sequel. A year passed, and eventually, a source close to the production confirmed the fate of Saw XI, saying, “It’s totally dead. It’s 100% over. Almost a year now.”
As fans kept waiting for news about their favorite franchise, another kind of update arrived. Not only was Saw XI dead, but Twisted Pictures was also going to let go of their most profitable IP. The Saw franchise, and everything stemming from it, films, TV shows, and video games, landed in the hands of Blumhouse Productions. Jason Blum was the highest bidder, and he became co-proprietor, alongside Lionsgate, of the wildly successful film series.
The timeline of these events is as clear as what everyone reported back then. Logically, there were negotiations that happened in the background, and most of the dynamics behind the acquisition are irrelevant. What’s important is that Blumhouse owns Saw now. Nevertheless, what was it about Saw XI that made the owners sell the property? Although they had been working on the series for more than 20 years, the project seems to have been doomed from its conception. Koules said the following to Fangoria when he eventually explained the reasons why Saw XI was scrapped:
“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.”
In the end, it seems that Saw XI was canceled before Blumhouse’s acquisition because of burnout. Koules and Burg saw eye to eye for 20 years, and one day, they just couldn’t do it anymore. Also, Saw X was a huge success upon release, and the critical reception was surprisingly good, considering the previous sequels were not as well-received. Making a worthy sequel to it was always going to be a challenge, and the former producers simply did not take the risk.
Will Blumhouse Productions Make ‘Saw XI’?
The future of the Saw franchise is promising. At least, the horror property did not hit a halt over rights, and won’t spend the next decades being juggled around in a courtroom. Jigsaw will return, but one of the big questions at the moment is if Blum will push for the production of Saw XI.
Koules says to Fangoria, “I purposely have never asked Jason what his idea is. In the deal, they got the Saw XI script, so I don’t want to give away too much in case he goes to make it.” He adds, “I know Jason loves video games. A lot of the things he had, Paranormal [Activity], all of these different franchises, he didn’t own those rights to go make video games. I know that he really wanted to start owning IP so he could take advantage of all the different things.”
While he didn’t disclose the original Saw XI plans, Koules is not sure whether Blum will follow the original blueprint. Enough time has passed, and though Blumhouse has other projects at hand, the silence around the future of the Saw franchise is suspicious. Unfortunately, it’s not looking good for Saw XI, the sequel that never was, and which would probably have seen the return of a Kramer.
Is the ‘Saw’ Franchise Due for a Full Reboot?
Perhaps the secret to the revival of the horror franchise was always clear, and no one bothered to recognize it. 20 years is, of course, a short period of time in terms of a revival in the way of a reboot, but is there really another way to get Saw up and running again? Tobin Bell’s age is a factor, an important one, and messing with the timelines again with flashback narratives is a blatant cop-out. John Kramer needs to pass the torch, and according to Blum himself, they will “reinvent” the concept.
The Saw franchise is due for a reboot. Not a spin-off like the infamous Spiral, but a reboot that takes the concept and adapts it for modern audiences. While the plot twists are no longer applicable, Blumhouse will surely find a way to get the horror series up and running in no time. Though Saw XI would have continued the fan-favorite story of the very creative villain, it would have been hard to repeat the success of its predecessor. It is time to see it as a canceled project and look ahead at what the future may bring. Oh yeah, and it is time to take down the Instagram post. Let’s stop the suffering among the loyal fans.
- Release Date
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September 25, 2025
- Director
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Kevin Greutert
- Producers
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Daniel J. Heffner, Gregg Hoffman, Jason Constantine, Mark Burg, Oren Koules
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Costas Mandylor
Mark Hoffman