Saw XI removed from its September release slot

by Ryan Lambie |
Saw X review
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Days after reports emerged about terminal problems with Saw XI, the horror sequel has been pulled from its September release slot.

Last week saw reports that horror sequel Saw XI was in trouble due to behind-the-scenes disagreements. Those stories now appear to have been borne out, to a degree, by the news that Lionsgate has removed the horror sequel from its release calendar.

Saw XI was originally scheduled to appear in US cinemas on the 26th September; that slot has now been filled by a different kind of scare-fest: The Strangers – Chapter 2, according to Variety.

The box office success of Saw X in 2023 seemed to have put the long-running splatter franchise back on track, and Lionsgate wasted little time in announcing a sequel. That follow-up was originally scheduled for 2024, echoing the annual turnaround the Saw movies often stuck to when their popularity was at its height in the 2000s.

The 2024 release was pushed back, however, and earlier in March, reports emerged that work on Saw XI had essentially stalled. Regular screenwriters Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan had, they said, submitted a draft in spring 2024, but had heard nothing back from Lionsgate in almost a year.

Read more: Saw X review | Jigsaw returns in glorious form

According to Melton, the holdup was due to disagreements – or “squabbles” – at “the managerial level.” He also suggested that he and Dunstan’s idea for Saw XI was timely in some way; their story for Saw VI saw Tobin Bell’s serial killer, Jigsaw, target health insurance execs. Their concept for the latest sequel would have explored a similar hot-button topic.

“It taps into the same themes of Saw VI,” Melton told The Hollywood Reporter, “where you’re a citizen, you feel angry and frustrated with something, you feel like you can’t do anything, and John Kramer’s going to do it.”

It’s possible that Saw XI's theme may have given Lionsgate pause, especially after the murder of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson in December 2024. Whatever the reason, the disagreements among executives sound fairly drastic; according to Bloody Disgusting, this iteration of the sequel may essentially be dead, with an insider saying the studio is likely to “start over.”

Lionsgate, meanwhile, has downplayed rumours that Saw XI has been scrapped. A statement published by TheWrap, and written in the voice of Saw mascot, Billy the Puppet, reads:

“I’ve seen the rumours. They say it’s Game Over. You all should know me better than that. The game is never over.”

Delivering news via a creepy horror puppet. Very reassuring.

Read more: Saw X and the unsubtle art of the splatter movie barf bag”

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