"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 confirmed that the upcoming Saw XI has officially been stalled and will not be released in the fall as originally scheduled.

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 are higher-level things at play.”

According to the publication, Melton and his writing partner Marcus Dunstan submitted a draft of the script in spring 2024, which is approaching a year ago. Melton added, “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 Gruetert was attached to the project back in December 2023, when it was given a September 2024 release date. But fans were devastated when the film was delayed for an entire year, with a new September 2025 release date set. Franchise diehards had hoped the delay was for the greater good of the story, especially after the box office success of Saw X. The 10th installment had truly revitalized the franchise in terms of numbers, earning over $120 million globally during its theatrical run, which naturally spurred executives to push forward with Saw XI.

What’s even more disappointing is that the 11th installment was set to address a timely topic. Though plot details for Saw XI have not been made public, Melton compared the plot to that of Saw VI, which he co-wrote with Dunstan and was directed by Gruetert. In Saw VI, lead character John Kramer, aka Jigsaw (played by Tobin Bell), seeks revenge against 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 as 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 sadly, it seems we may never know.