Saw XI Brings Back Familiar Director for New Installment
Kevin Greutert, who has directed three previous Saw movies, will take on Saw XI.
Saw X director Kevin Greutert has signed on to make Saw XI, according to a new report. The filmmaker, who also directed 2009's Saw VI in 2009 and 2010's Saw: The Final Chapter, returned to the franchise with a splash last year, bringing back Jigsaw and getting the best fan response that the series has had in years. While the film's writers aren't coming back (there's no word yet on who's writing the new script), bringing back Greutert makes a lot of sense, considering the franchise is aiming to get another installment into theaters this year. That gives them relatively little time to develop and produce it.
The news comes from horror outlet Bloody Disgusting, who teased "stay tuned for more" from the movie. It isn't clear whether they know an announcement is imminent.
Saw X took place between the events of the first two movies, and brought back both Tobin Bell's Jigsaw and Shawnee Smith's Amanda. It was a return to form, and one that thrilled fans because in the time since Jigsaw's death, the franchise had tried and failed to recapture the energy he brought to the table a couple of times. The producers have often joked about what a bad idea it was to kill off their villain in Saw III, since the franchise is not supernatural in nature, so a true resurrection is more or less out of the picture.
"Originally, we were bringing it [Spiral] way more into the Saw universe, with Tobin Bell," producer Oren Koules said of Chris Rock's 2021 spinoff. "Lionsgate convinced us to do a standalone movie. I loved Spiral, I'm really proud of it, but it did not do what we had hoped at the box office. We decided to go back and do the story that we originally planned on doing [with Saw X]."
In addition to earning over $110 million at the box office and winning over the disillusioned fanbase, Saw X managed to earn a "certified fresh" rating (over 75% positive reviews) on Rotten Tomatoes -- the only movie in the entire franchise to do so...or even come close, with the next-highest-rated being Saw with 50%.