With over a billion dollars in box office receipts, theSawfranchise is undoubtedly one of the most successful horror sagas in history. 2024 marks the 20th anniversary of the groundbreaking original that was directed byJames Wan, and while he’s yet to helm another entry in the series since, he’s remained involved behind the scenes as en executive producer. However, that isn’t to say he would never come back to oversee another movie, but fans who are holding their breath waiting for his triumphant return had better suck in some more air,because it doesn’t look like it’ll be happening anytime soon.
Speaking withPeople, Wan was straight-up asked if he’d ever return to the franchise to direct anotherSawfilm. He gave the standard answer of “never say never,” of course, but also revealed what it would take to get him back in the director’s chair.
“It would have to be something extremely special for me to want to step back in. And right now, I have so many other projects that I’m cooking in the pipeline that mean a lot to me, so I would rather work on those and see those get off the ground before something else that I’ve already done.”
Those “other projects” Wan mentioned are many, including directing a remake ofThe Creature from the Black Lagoon, producing the upcoming filmsThe Monkey,M3GAN 2.0,SOULM8TE, andMortal Kombat 2, rebootingThe Munstersfor TV, and producinga sitcom in the same vein asThe Officewhich takes place at Area 51. And those are just the projects we know about. There could be any number of other things he has in the works that have yet to be revealed. As for the “extremely special” thing it would take for him to return toSaw? Your guess is as good as ours, but seeing as how things have changed so much from where they began, there would almost have to be an entire rest at this point.
James Wan Would Have Taken Saw ‘On a Different Path’
Part of what madeSawspecial was its simple concept of two people mysteriously locked in a room for their moral transgressions, trying to find their way out of the trap set for them. Since then, things have opened up a lot to feature Jigsaw and his allies, going beyond a dingy bathroom all the way to Mexico in the latest film,Saw X. That’s not necessarily the route Wan would have taken if he stuck with the franchise beyond the first movie, as he admitted that he “would’ve taken certain things on a different path.”
James Wan Celebrates Saw’s 20th Anniversary by Revealing His Favorite Death Trap
There have been a lot of traps in Saw over the years, but none are more iconic than this.
Still, he gave credit where credit is due, praising the work of those that came after him that have turned the series into a money-making machine, andmaking it last as long as it has. “They’ve all done a great job shepherding this franchise and [continuing] to make as many as they have,” he told People. “So kudos to them for knowing what to do, and the direction of where they felt they needed to take it.”
While Wan might not be returning to theSawfranchise in the near future, it will continue to growwith next year’sSaw XI. Little is known about the movie at this point, but it’s at least been confirmed that Tobin Bell will be returning, so Jigsaw will be featured in some capacity. As for Wan, his name will be seen next as an executive producer on Osgood Perkins’The Monkey, which is slated for release on Jul 01, 2025.
