The Saw franchise has never been shy about pain — physical, psychological, and narrative. But this time, the agony comes from what we didn’t get to see. In a twist worthy of Jigsaw himself, Saw XI, the highly anticipated sequel to the critically acclaimed Saw X, has been officially canceled following creative disagreements behind the scenes. And now, fans are getting their first real look at what could have been — and what might still be.
The Saw XI We Almost Got
In an interview with ComicBook, longtime producer Oren Koules opened the trapdoor on the scrapped installment, revealing it was set to pick up “30 seconds after Saw X ended”. Returning characters would have included Synnøve Macody Lund’s chilling Cecilia Pederson, one of the few characters to outwit Jigsaw, alongside franchise veteran Costas Mandylor as the brutal enforcer, Mark Hoffman.
“We had everybody in, including Synnøve coming back from Saw X. She’s amazing. The script… was going to take place 30 seconds after Saw X ended” Koules said.
It was all in motion — cast locked, story aligned, and energy high after Saw X delivered what many fans never thought possible: a “Fresh” Rotten Tomatoes score (81%), $125+ million at the global box office, and the return of Tobin Bell as John Kramer in a performance that re-centered the franchise around its original moral complexity. But then, the gears jammed.
Creative Differences And A Franchise At A Crossroads
According to Koules, a “difference of opinion” between himself and fellow Twisted Pictures co-founder Mark Burg caused the project to derail. What should’ve been a triumphant follow-up turned into a creative deadlock.
And yet, this wasn’t a failure of storytelling or audience interest. Quite the opposite. Saw XI was built on a promising script from Patrick Melton, which Koules described as “very timely” — an echo of the franchise’s earlier critiques of corporate greed and moral ambiguity. This time, the traps would target health insurance scammers, returning to the ethical minefield that made the early films so effective.
A New Player Enters the Game: Blumhouse
Amid the chaos, Blumhouse Productions — horror’s most consistent power player — entered the conversation, acquiring a stake in the Saw rights from Twisted Pictures. Koules framed this as a kind of “passing of the torch”, raising questions about how the series might evolve under new creative leadership. Could this be the beginning of a new chapter — or a total reinvention?
Blumhouse, known for razor-sharp horror hits like The Invisible Man, Paranormal Activity, and The Black Phone, has the pedigree to push the franchise in bold new directions, possibly even salvaging the foundation that Saw XI built.
The cancellation of Saw XI may sting, but it’s not the end. If anything, it reveals just how much life still pulses within the franchise’s veins. Saw X proved there’s an appetite for smart, story-driven horror within the Saw universe — and the creative clash behind Saw XI signals ambition, not apathy.
As Cecilia Pederson’s fate remains unresolved and Mark Hoffman’s shadow looms, the Saw saga still has traps left to spring. The real question now isn’t “Will there be another Saw movie?” — it’s “Whose vision will set the rules of the next game?”
