The Saw film franchise will reportedly no longer be under the control of Twisted Pictures. The production label, which was rumored to have been suffering from disputes that kept Saw 11 from happening, is said to be giving their share of rights to Blumhouse.
As shared via Deadline, this would be “a deal that will bring James Wan back in touch with the mega horror IP he created.” The outlet adds that “Blumhouse essentially is taking over the IP’s ownership from Twisted’s Mark Burg and Oren Koules.”
For those wondering how Lionsgate will fit into all of this, the studio is said to “continue to be involved as a partner and, in fact, owns 50% of the franchise.” This means Blumhouse would now own the other 50% of the franchise alongside Lionsgate and Twisted Pictures will no longer have any stake in the franchise.
With that said, it’s unknown what plans they could have for the franchise. There’s no eleventh film in development at this time, but if Blumhouse takes over the rights, it’s likely that development will be fast-tracked.
Interestingly, Blumhouse recently merged with James Wan’s label Atomic Monster, which means that the Saw franchise would be going back to Wan. While he’s been credited as an executive producer on all of the sequels, Wan was really only ever involved with the original movie, which he directed for a release in 2004.
The most recent installment in the franchise, Saw X, was a huge success with fans, critics, and at the box office. While an eleventh film seemed inevitable, things have been complicated, so one can hope that Blumhouse’s reported acquisition of the rights will allow the franchise to get back on track.
Stay tuned to ScreenGeek for any additional Saw updates as we have them. For now, this is a major development for one of horror’s biggest franchises, and it’ll be exciting to see what comes of it going forward.