Screenwriter Patrick Melton has revealed that the reportedly canceled Saw XI would have featured a timely social commentary similar to Saw VI, widely considered one of the franchise’s strongest entries. The next installment in the long-running horror series was initially postponed in April 2024 from its original September 2024 release date to September 26, 2025. Still, by March 2025, industry reports indicated Saw XI was scrapped. According to Melton, the film has made “zero progress” since the spring of 2024, when he and writing partner Marcus Dunstan submitted their script. The production collapse stems from what Melton describes as “inter-squabbling between producers and Lionsgate” rather than creative issues, essentially killing the sequel despite the critical and commercial success of 2023’s Saw X, which revitalized the franchise with a $112 million global box office performance against a modest $13 million budget.
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“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 The Hollywood Reporter in a recent interview. “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.” This approach mirrors the social commentary of 2009’s Saw VI, which targeted health insurance executives who denied coverage to patients.
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“It has nothing to do with the creative or anything else. There’s higher-level things at play,” Melton clarified. “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.” According to a March 2025 report, the situation deteriorated significantly, with sources claiming the project is “totally dead” and has been “100% over” for “almost a year.” The report further alleged that “everything went sideways in January 2024” when producer conflicts emerged, with one attempting to “plow forward” while another “put up roadblocks” that halted production.
How Saw VI Set a Template for Socially Conscious Horror That Saw XI Hoped to Follow
Saw VI represented a significant turning point for the franchise, injecting relevant social commentary into the series’ established formula of elaborate death traps and moral quandaries. The 2009 sequel focused on William Easton (Peter Outerbridge), an insurance executive who denied coverage to John Kramer (Tobin Bell) and countless others based on cost-benefit calculations. By targeting the healthcare insurance industry, Saw VI tapped into widespread public frustration with a system that prioritized profits over patients’ lives — a theme that resonated with critics despite the film’s underperforming at the box office due to competition from Paranormal Activity.
The production troubles facing Saw XI come at a particularly unfortunate time for the franchise. Saw X, directed by franchise veteran Kevin Greutert, took a fresh approach by focusing on an earlier period in John Kramer’s timeline, specifically his desperate journey to Mexico for experimental cancer treatment that ultimately leads to bloody revenge against medical scammers. The film’s success indicated a promising new direction for a series that had previously struggled to maintain relevance after numerous sequels.
The apparent cancellation of Saw XI raises serious questions about the franchise’s long-term viability. While Lionsgate has yet to officially cancel Saw XI or remove it from the release calendar, the reported complete collapse of the production. Unless the reported producer conflicts can be resolved, it seems Jigsaw’s game may have finally reached its end game.
Saw X is currently available for streaming on Starz.
Do you think Saw XI can still be salvaged? Or is it better for the franchise to hibernate for a while? Share your thoughts in the comments!
