While a wave of 2003 releases – including Cabin Fever, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Wrong Turn, and Freddy vs. Jason – helped restore R-rated horror to theaters, Lionsgate took a major swing with Saw in 2004 and truly accelerated the genre’s resurgence, ushering in what was later labeled the “torture porn” era… a label I reject.
Saw centers on the infamous killer John “Jigsaw” Kramer (Tobin Bell) and his accomplices, who subject victims to elaborate, deadly tests designed to force them to survive extreme physical and psychological ordeals rather than executing them outright.
Before Lionsgate released the film in theaters, director James Wan and actor/writer Leigh Whannell celebrated SAW’s World Premiere at the Sundance Film Festival, where it received mixed reviews before finding its audience among hardcore horror fans.
After a handful of positive test screenings and strong reviews from horror critics like me, Lionsgate committed to a theatrical release, shocking the industry with a $100M opening weekend.
Now, after ten(!) films, the SAW franchise is taking a new form with the involvement of Blumhouse and Wan’s Atomic Monster. Both Wan and Whannell return to a more hands-on producing role, being more intimately involved for the first time since SAW II.
But is it possible that Wan would return to direct from a screenplay by his bff and co-creator, Leigh Whannell?
What Wan said at last night’s Sundance reunion turned a lot of heads…
James Wan Confirms himself and Leigh Whannell are making the next Saw movie 🎥
— SawUpdates (@saw_update) January 30, 2026
(Via – @livelaughrey) pic.twitter.com/Zz8TDQzige
“All I can say is…we’re gonna do one,” Wan tells the audience to huge cheers. “We are gonna make one…“
“We want to hark back to the spirit of the original film,” he added. “We want to make another scary Saw movie.”
Wan has mused about returning to the director’s chair several times over the past 20 years, so it’s not that crazy to think he’d direct the next SAW, if not one of the future sequels.
We’ve reached out to several parties to clarify what’s being said in the video, because it’s not as clear as other outlets are making it out to be. It sure sounds like Wan is confirming a return behind the camera, but he could also be talking about how closely involved the two will be on the next film. Either is a win for us horror fans because when Wan actually touches something, it turns to gold.
Watch Dread Central for official news as it breaks.
No comments:
Post a Comment