For those of us who were devastated that the powers that be would essentially just throw our guy John Kramer in the trash, you’ll be happy to know that Jigsaw himself might still be coming back. According to reports, the Saw franchise is in talks to be sold to Blumhouse after the 11th installment was quietly cancelled back in March.
The studio, which has made a name for itself over the years by becoming a cornerstone of mainstream horror filmmaking, is currently making a deal to take over the Twisted Pictures side of the franchise, which has been helmed by producers Mark Burg and Oren Koules since the very first installment in 2004. The banner has owned the rights to Saw alongside Lionsgate, which has been distributing the films from the beginning, and both brands are now synonymous with the franchise.
However, it seems like those days are almost over. Say what you will about the move — and considering Blumhouse doesn’t have the best track record when it comes to producing quality, not quantity, in recent years, I get it — but there is one pretty good thing to come out of it if the deal does, in fact, get sealed.
James Wan — one of the creators of the Saw franchise alongside Leigh Whannell, of course — would be getting back partial ownership of the story he created if this deal finally goes through. His production company, Atomic Monster, merged with Blumhouse, run by now legendary horror producer Jason Blum, in January 2024. So that means there’s potential that we might finally see another Saw film that has more direct involvement from the creators than we’ve had since Saw III. And honestly? That could be the best move for the franchise at this point.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Blumhouse and Twisted Pictures have been talking about this deal for over a year, but things mainly stalled because of the dollar amount being put on the table. It seems as though that conversation has restarted in a major way — and we can’t wait to see what comes of it.
The last Saw film released was Saw X, which hit theaters in September 2023, and it remains to be seen where the franchise will go from here, whether that means we finally get Saw XI or maybe even a miniseries or TV show. Who knows! Just bring John Kramer back, that’s all we ask!
Lex Briscuso is a film and television critic and a freelance entertainment writer for IGN. You can follow her on Twitter at @nikonamerica.
