The Saw franchise is one of those that’s become a big part of pop culture, especially since it came out in the 2000s. It really made its mark in the horror world, shaping a generation of fans who still love it today. No wonder the eleventh movie is set to hit theaters next year.
But with so many films, it can be hard for the same person to keep directing for so long. James Wan, one of the creators of the franchise, decided to step away from the project shortly after the first movie. However, in a recent interview, he shared that he would have taken a different approach if he had stayed. He also seized the chance to reveal whether he might return to the franchise someday, which would definitely be surreal.
James Wan Says He Would Return To The Saw Franchise Under One Condition
Let the truth be told: a franchise without its creator isn’t quite the same. Even if James Wan didn’t want to be involved in making the films anymore, many fans were hoping he’d stick around in some capacity, maybe as a producer. After all, the story almost never stays the same when the original creator isn’t involved.
Saw may have been an exception, since even after the first film in 2004, the sequels continued to impact audiences and attract more fans. When Wan stepped away from the project, his partner Leigh Whannell kept going, but it wasn’t long before he followed in Wan’s footsteps and left as well.
The franchise was handed over to several other directors and screenwriters, and while it fortunately managed to achieve solid results, what people have seen over the years wasn’t exactly what was originally planned. In a recent interview with People, Wan admitted that he “would’ve taken certain things on a different path,” but he also praised the direction the films ended up taking:
That’s why I’ve never necessarily been critical about where the franchise has gone. They’ve all done a great job shepherding this franchise and [continuing] to make as many as they have. So kudos to them for knowing what to do, and the direction of where they felt they needed to take it.
Saw started by focusing on John Kramer — Jigsaw — a criminal who created deadly traps, forcing his victims to make life-or-death decisions in order to escape, or face a brutal death. In the subsequent films, different new victims were caught in these traps, some designed by Kramer himself, while others were created by followers who copied his methods.
Wan was also asked about the possibility of returning to this universe, and he was very straightforward in his response:
I would never say never, but 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.
Having directed Furious 7, Aquaman, The Conjuring, and Malignant, Wan is currently working on several exciting projects, including the direction and production of films like Stephen King adaptation, The Monkey; a live-action version of the animated Gargoyles; the long-awaited Frankenstein remake; and a remake of Creature from the Black Lagoon.
James Wan Reveals His Favorite Trap From Saw Franchise
In another interview with People, Wan discussed his experience with the franchise, which is also celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. Looking back at Saw‘s legacy, Wan revealed that he never imagined it would become what it has — with a series of films and still remaining a phenomenon.
He expressed feeling very lucky, and when asked what his favorite trap from all the films was, he replied:
It’s really the jaw trap. I mean, that one has become so iconic. Obviously, it ended up being on the poster, so that one is the most … that one would probably mean the most to me. We picked that particular scene, the scene with the jaw trap, just because we figured that it would really capture people’s attention. And sure enough, when we made the short, the producers in town who saw it were like, ‘What the hell is this?’ They’re like, ‘We don’t know what the hell we’re looking at, but this is fascinating.’ And so for me, that will always be my baby.
The jaw trap first appeared in the original film and made appearances in almost all the sequels. It was initially used on Amanda Young, who became the first known survivor in the story. In this scene, the character has only seconds to retrieve a key from a man’s belly in order to unlock the trap before it rips her head apart.
Saw XI will debut in theaters on September 26, 2025.
