The Saw franchise has just celebrated its ten-year anniversary. It’s hard to believe an entire decade has passed since the cinema-going public were first introduced to the merciless game-playing of Jigsaw. Since his gory debut back in 2004, Jigsaw and his minions went on to terrorize “bad people” in a further six sequels, to varying degrees of success. So, now that it’s been four years since the last entry, 2010’s Saw: The Final Chapter, are we likely to see another take?
Last month, original producers Mark Burg and Oren Koules answered that query with a resounding yes. According to the duo, they intend to re-enlist the franchise’s original creators, James Wan and Leigh Whannell, and make their first presentation at Comic-Con 2016. Now we’ve got word on the subject from Whannell himself, who in an interview with Movies.com gave his honest opinion of the likelihood of a new Saw emerging in the next few years:
Huh. In the next two or three years? Now I’m saying this as someone who isn’t actually privy to any insider information, and I’d think if they were going to make one they would definitely tell me and they haven’t yet, but since you put it in a betting context, I would reckon it’s a 7 out of 10 that in the next couple years there will be an announcement about some form of sequel or reboot or something to do with Saw. That’s just my gut feeling knowing the studio and how they feel about the franchise. They haven’t pulled the trigger yet, so that’s why it’s at a 7.
That would fall in line with Burg and Koules’ comments. Lionsgate, the studio behind the series, are likely to push another chapter into development since it’s just so damn lucrative. To date, all seven films have bagged a total of $873 million worldwide. On fairly minimal budgets, we might add. So, it seems probable that the torturous devices will get cranked up once again for an eighth movie. But will Whannell return?
Here’s what he had to say on the matter:
I’m willing to hand it off. I’m fairly tapped out when it comes to Saw, pardon the pun for Saw fans out there. I feel like I’ve given everything I had to give to that particular universe, but I’d have to see when it gets down to it. I’m pretty much a case by case person when it comes to screenwriting. It’s pretty torturous at the best of times, so the last thing you want to do is commit to writing something you’re not sure about. Because if you’re not sure about it, the process will just eat you alive and it’ll show in your work.
I wouldn’t commit to the Saw franchise, but I would commit to a story idea that was really awesome. If someone called me up and said, “Hey, I’ve got a great story idea for the next Saw film” and they told me the idea and I loved it, I might commit to that, but I wouldn’t just write a blank check to the franchise itself because I’d just get stuck at a table pulling my hair out, swigging Jack Daniels, and playing Russian Roulette Christopher Walken-style with a revolver.
Again, his response syncs up with Wan’s previous thoughts on the matter. When asked if he’d be willing to head back , he stated it would depend entirely on a unique story that both he and Whannell would be excited about. As both have since ventured into their own, Wan with The Conjuring, Whannell with Insidious Chapter 3, it’s possible they’re not entirely serious about ever returning. But, because the original Saw is still a classic horror, that’s often lumped in with the dour sequels, we’re hoping they’re deadly serious.