James Wan Wants to Breathe New Life into the SAW Franchise That Launched His Career

James Wan has never been far from Saw, even if he only directed the first film. His 2004 feature debut, written with Leigh Whannell, turned a low-budget thriller into one of the biggest horror franchises of the 2000s.

While Wan went on to build The Conjuring Universe and direct blockbusters like Aquaman, he stayed connected to Saw as a producer and story contributor. Now, two decades later, he’s talking about coming back in a bigger way now that Blumhouse acquired the rights.

In a recent interview with ScreenRant, Wan admitted that it’s still “a bit early to talk about it,” but made it clear he has ideas about how to push the franchise forward:

“Any update? It's a bit early to talk about it, but needless to say, it's one that I am very excited about. Just because I really haven't had much to do with the franchise since the very early days.

I guess it's challenging and exciting because I get to come back to the movie that started my career – the career for myself and Leigh Whannell. I'm not taking this very lightly at all, and I definitely want to find a way for the next movie to be respectful of what fans love about the franchise, whilst finding a new audience for it.

It's a 20-year-old franchise, and I do think finding a fresh start to some degree is important, while still staying true to the world that we have created.”

Saw X, released in 2023, was the best-reviewed film in the series and a box office win, proving there’s still an appetite for Jigsaw’s brand of horror. The movie cleverly slotted into the timeline between Saw and Saw II, giving John Kramer one last curtain call. But the planned follow-up ran into trouble.

Early development on Saw XI went sideways at the start of 2024. Longtime Saw writers Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan said they had a draft completed more than a year ago, but disagreements between producers and Lionsgate stalled the process.

The pair had pitched a story with shades of Saw VI, focusing on themes around corruption and healthcare, but the project was pulled from Lionsgate’s release calendar in March.

Wan’s comments suggest that while that version of Saw XI may be dead, the franchise itself isn’t finished. He’s hinting at a “fresh start,” something that could bridge the old and the new without discarding the bloody legacy that fans love.

Financially, it makes sense as Saw X proved the franchise can still perform. Creatively, though, the challenge will be giving audiences something that feels relevant in today’s horror landscape. The traps are always shocking, but what really made Saw stand out was its twisted morality play.

If Wan can recapture that edge while updating the themes for modern audiences, the franchise could carve out another decade of relevance.