"Saw XI Delayed: Lionsgate and Producer Clashes"

I can’t even believe I’m saying this, but it's game over for the Saw franchise, at least for now. It has been officially confirmed that the upcoming Saw XI has been stalled and will not be released this fall as originally planned.

However, this delay isn't due to creative issues. “We haven’t heard anything since May,” Saw XI screenwriter Patrick Melton told The Hollywood Reporter. “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.”

According to the publication, Melton and his writing partner Marcus Dunstan submitted a draft of the script in the spring of 2024, nearly a year ago. Melton elaborated: “The reason it’s held up is just, there’s inter-squabbling between producers and Lionsgate. They just can’t quite get on the same page.”

Frequent franchise director Kevin Greutert was attached to the project back in December 2023, when it was slated for a September 2024 release. However, fans were devastated when the film was delayed for an entire year, rescheduling to September 2025. Die-hard fans hoped this delay was for the betterment of the story, especially following the box office success of Saw X. The 10th installment had revitalized the franchise, earning over $120 million globally during its theatrical run, which naturally spurred executives to push forward with Saw XI.

What makes this even more disappointing is that the 11th installment was poised to address a timely topic. Although plot details for Saw XI have not been disclosed, Melton compared its plot to that of Saw VI, which was also written by Melton and Dunstan and directed by Greutert. In Saw VI, lead character John Kramer, aka Jigsaw (played by Tobin Bell), seeks revenge on a group of 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 told THR.

“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.” It would be fascinating to see the Saw franchise revisit these themes and explore them differently, given the current state of the world — but unfortunately, it seems we may never get the chance.