James Wan and Leigh Whannell‘s Saw, which first knocked audiences’ socks off back in 2004, has hugely grown to epic proportions. What started as a dreadful movie about a series of agonizing games has since become one of the longest-running horror franchises in history. Even though some of the franchise’s earlier releases were not as critically well-received as the earlier ones, the R-rated franchise returned with an acclaimed tenth installment that boasts quite an impressive score on Rotten Tomatoes — and the games, by all means, weren’t even over yet. Confirmed to be returning for Saw XI, which has been sadly pushed back to 2025, Saw veteran writer Marcus Dunstan has provided an update on the development of the highly anticipated eleventh installment.

Saw XI was initially scheduled for release a year following the box office hit and critical darling Saw X but was pushed back to September 26, 2025, giving writers enough time to properly flesh out the story. This is especially given how the quality of some of the franchise’s installments severely suffered due to Saw‘s yearly releases back in the early 2000s. Now, with more time given to provide the best story possible, Dunstan — who has co-written a total of five Saw movies (including the latest, Saw X) — revealed to ScreenRant that Saw XI has some fresh stories to tell. Saw VI and Saw 3D filmmaker Kevin Greutert will return to direct the eleventh movie.

“We’re writing XI right now, and Kevin Greutert is returning to direct. That’s been since December, and that’s one where it’s got something new to say, and it’s angry,” said Dunstan.

The ‘Saw’ Franchise’s Legacy Stands

While John Kramer (famously played by Tobin Bell) has already been dead for years, his twisted games have continued to terrorize unfortunate victims in the franchise’s succeeding installments. An old man whose life has been upended since his cancer diagnosis and the death of his unborn child, John Kramer — known to his victims as Jigsaw — has sworn to create vile traps for people who don’t seem to be appreciative of their lives. That, perhaps, made audiences empathize with the villain, no matter how degenerate his ways were. But one thing that made the franchise so successful was that it never strayed away from its violent theme and has showcased some of history’s goriest movie scenes ever.

There are no plot details on Saw XI at this time, but it will certainly be interesting to see how the story will continue. The tenth movie saw the return of Shawnee Smith as Amanda Young and Bell as the games’ mastermind, so viewers may expect some familiar faces for the upcoming movie.

via Collider