James Wan Aims to Make the Next Saw as Terrifying as the Original
James Wan is back in the Saw trap, plotting a back-to-basics shocker that recaptures the original’s grim, nerve-shredding fear.
Well, here is a twist I did not see coming: James Wan is circling back to the franchise that launched his career, and the plan is to actually make Saw scary again.
How we got here
Wan and Leigh Whannell kicked off Saw in 2004, then stepped away after Saw III. They have not had real creative control since. Fast-forward to now: development on Saw XI reportedly stalled after internal disagreements at longtime rights-holder Twisted Pictures. Blumhouse then swooped in and grabbed the franchise, and because Blumhouse recently merged with Wan's company Atomic Monster, suddenly the original duo is back in the room.
- 2004: James Wan directs the first Saw, co-created with Leigh Whannell
- Post-Saw III: Wan and Whannell move on, offering blessings but not hands-on control
- Recently: Saw XI hits a wall at Twisted Pictures over creative disputes
- Blumhouse acquires Saw, then merges with Wan's Atomic Monster
- Result: Wan and Whannell are re-engaged to help steer the next film
Blumhouse's plan
Jason Blum is not pretending it is easy to keep a franchise alive after ten movies. He told Variety that running a series this long is tough, thanked the original producers for letting Blumhouse take the baton, and laid out the strategy: bring back the people who made the magic in the first place. Translation: James Wan will be heavily involved as they try to reinvent Saw rather than just extend it.
Wan's angle: less splatter, more shivers
In a chat with Letterboxd's Isaac Feldberg, Wan said he has not been this involved in Saw since, basically, the beginning. He helped shape the story on Saw III, but otherwise he has mostly watched from a distance while giving his blessing to various sequels. Coming back now, he says, gives him a fresh set of eyes — and a specific mandate.
"I want to make a scary Saw — not just gory, but psychologically scarring."
He is talking about going back to the first film's vibe: claustrophobic dread, moral dilemmas that get under your skin, and Jigsaw's original philosophy. In plain English: Jigsaw targets people who are wasting their lives. If you are a terrible person but you genuinely value your life, you are not his target. Expect the new film to revisit that framework instead of just inventing new gadgets and traps for the sake of it.
Wan also knows this is film number eleven. He wants to honor what fans love, but do something different enough to pull in a generation that did not grow up with these movies. And yes, Whannell is back in the mix alongside him.
Where this is heading
When Blumhouse first locked the deal, Wan called Saw a personal touchstone and said returning now feels both nostalgic and reinvigorating. That tracks with everything he is saying: embrace the original spirit, push the legacy in a bold direction, and actually try to scare people again — not just make them wince.
Short version: the team that built the house is back to renovate it. If they really steer Saw XI toward the lean, nasty tension of the 2004 original, this could be the rare late-franchise course correction that actually lands.