Saw XI 'Stalled at a Managerial Level' Due to Lionsgate and Producer Tensions

It's a shocking turn of events for fans of the Saw franchise: the much-anticipated Saw XI has been officially delayed and will not meet its fall release as initially planned. This news comes as a disappointment to many who were eagerly awaiting the next installment in the long-running horror series.

However, the delay isn't due to creative differences. According to Saw XI screenwriter Patrick Melton in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the project has been stalled at a managerial level. "We haven’t heard anything since May," Melton stated. "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."

Melton and his writing partner Marcus Dunstan submitted a draft of the script back in spring 2024, nearly a year ago. The reason for the hold-up, Melton explained, is due to "inter-squabbling between producers and Lionsgate. They just can’t quite get on the same page."

Frequent franchise director Kevin Gruetert was initially attached to the project in December 2023, with a planned release date of September 2024. However, fans were disheartened when the film's release was pushed back an entire year to September 2025. Many hoped this delay would enhance the story, especially following the success of Saw X. The 10th film revitalized the franchise, earning over $120 million globally during its theatrical run, which naturally spurred excitement for Saw XI.

What makes this delay even more frustrating is that Saw XI was set to explore a timely topic. While plot details remain under wraps, Melton hinted that the film's narrative would echo themes from Saw VI, which he co-wrote with Dunstan and was directed by Gruetert. In Saw VI, John Kramer, aka Jigsaw (played by Tobin Bell), targets health insurance executives.

"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 shared with THR. He further elaborated, "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." Given the current state of the world, it would have been fascinating to see the Saw franchise revisit these themes and how they might be approached differently. Unfortunately, it seems we may never get to see this vision come to life.