A Deal That Could Reunite James Wan with the Franchise That Launched His Career
It may not be “game over” just yet for the Saw franchise and all its loyal fanatics. After the collapse of the 11th film in the franchise earlier this year, Blumhouse is now in talks to purchase the long-running horror franchise from Twisted Pictures. A deal that was in the works in 2024 is reportedly back on and moving full steam ahead.
Twisted Pictures, Oren Koules, and Mark Burg have been a part of the Saw franchise since funding the original 2004 film after seeing James Wan and Leigh Whannell’s proof-of-concept short. They co-own the rights to the franchise with Lionsgate, who have distributed the films since Wan’s original.
This deal would move the franchise one step closer back to the hands of its creator, James Wan, whose Atomic Monster production company officially merged with Blumhouse in January 2024.
Fresh out of film school, Wan and his writing partner, Leigh Whannell, made Saw in 2004 for $1.2 million and it became a box office and cultural touchstone, generating more than $100 million dollars worldwide. After ten films and a boatload of body parts, the Saw franchise (which Wan hasn’t been a part of) has gone on to gross over $1 billion between box office and video sales. A wild feat for a film that started with two grown men chained in a dirty bathroom.
This news will come as a delight to fans who were left disheartened at the bottoming out of the 11th installment reported earlier this year. Saw X in 2023 was a critical and commercial success, with many lifelong fans crowning it the best film in the franchise, so they were understandably disappointed when the news about a follow-up sequel had fallen apart behind the scenes.
This seems like a no-brainer for the scrappy Blumhouse. Wan is one of the most bankable writer/director/producers working in Hollywood today, and it would be a real treat to see him return to the franchise that gave him his start.
We can only hope that soon enough that creepy-looking Saw puppet (Billy) will come squeaking onto cinema screens once more, proclaiming, “I want to play a game.”
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