The Saw franchise was going to continue expanding with Saw 11, but I’m having a hard time accepting its supposed cancellation after Saw X broke a franchise record. The horror genre is home to some of the most extensive and popular franchises in the entertainment world, and one of them is Saw. Created by James Wan and Leigh Whannell, the Saw franchise started with a short film in 2003, which served as the basis for the 2004 movie of the same name.

Saw introduced viewers to John Kramer (Tobin Bell), a man with terminal cancer who, seeing how people throw their lives away, decides to punish them, becoming the Jigsaw Killer. For that, Kramer designs elaborate torture traps for his targets, through which he intends to make them appreciate life – if they survive, of course. Kramer’s story and legacy has made way for a total of 10 Saw movies, including the spinoff Spiral. Now, the franchise seems to have stopped, which I’m having a hard time accepting after Saw X’s success.

Saw 11 Is Reportedly Cancelled (Even Though It Was Supposed To Release In 2025)

Saw 11 Is, Apparently, No More

The Saw franchise has had a couple of fake endings – first with Saw 3D and later with Spinal. Saw X surprised the audience by being a sequel and a prequel, as it’s set between Saw and Saw II, thus adding to Kramer’s story. The success of Saw X led to a sequel, appropriately тιтled Saw XI, being announced to be in development in 2023. Saw 11 was originally planned for a 2024 release before changing it to September 2025, and Saw X director Kevin Greutert was on board to direct.

The last update on Saw 11 was that a draft had been turned in in mid-2024, but no more had been shared since then. Unfortunately, it now seems like Saw 11 has been silently cancelled. According to Bloody Disgusting, production on Saw 11 halted over a year ago, as producers disagreed on the direction the movie should take. It’s important to note that this information comes from insiders and Lionsgate hasn’t confirmed Saw 11‘s cancellation, but it hasn’t provided updates on it, either.

Saw 11’s Cancellation Comes After Saw X Broke The Franchise’s Rotten Tomatoes Record

Saw X Is The Highest-Rated Movie In The Franchise

Saw X was a surprise due to its place in the Saw timeline and also because of how good it actually is. The Saw franchise has had its highs and lows, and while most sequels are entertaining, some of them weren’t exactly good. Saw X turned out to be a fresh spin on the franchise while also staying true to it and adding to the story of John Kramer in between movies. Saw X follows Kramer as he learns of an experimental Norwegian cancer treatment clinic in México City. Hoping to find a cure, Kramer travels there and undergoes brain surgery.

Finding a new lease on life, Kramer gets a gift for a fellow patient, but upon returning to the clinic, he finds it abandoned and learns that the whole treatment, surgery, and everything else was a scam. Kramer tracks down all those involved in it, and, with the help of his apprentice Amanda Young (Shawnee Smith), kidnaps them and forces them to play his “games.” Saw X was well-received by critics and was a box office success, grossing $125.3 million against a budget of $13 million, while also becoming the highest-rated movie in the franchise on Rotten Tomatoes.

With its 81% critics’ score, Saw X is also the only movie in the franchise with a “fresh” label, as the rest fall into the “rotten” category. The Saw franchise seemed to have found new life with Saw X and to be on the right path to bring the saga back to life with fresh stories that fit the franchise and add to it, which is why it’s so surprising to me that Saw 11 has apparently been cancelled.

However, at the same time, I understand Saw 11’s possible cancellation as the producers and the entire creative team would surely want to make a movie that lives up to Saw X and goes beyond expectations, and I can imagine there would be many disagreements on how to achieve that.

Does Saw 11’s Cancellation Mean The Franchise Is Over For Good?

Has Saw Met Its End?

The apparent cancellation of Saw 11 doesn’t necessarily mean that the Saw franchise has reached its end. Bloody Disgusting’s report adds that, if the franchise sells somewhere else, it will likely “start over”, which could mean different things. It could be that Saw 11 will go through a full creative retooling, which could mean a different place in the timeline (in other words, no longer a sequel to Saw X and thus also a sequel and prequel). However, it could also mean that the Saw saga would go through a proper reboot or even a remake, effectively ending the current story of the franchise.

Source: Bloody Disgusting.