It's hard to believe, but it looks like the curtains might be closing on the Saw franchise for the time being. The much-anticipated Saw XI has hit a significant roadblock and will not meet its planned fall release. This delay isn't due to any creative hiccups but rather managerial disputes.

According to Patrick Melton, the screenwriter for Saw XI, in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, "We haven’t heard anything since May. It’s stalled at a managerial level. It has nothing to do with the creative or anything else. There’s higher-level things at play." Melton, along with his writing partner Marcus Dunstan, submitted a draft of the script back in spring 2024, nearly a year ago. The hold-up, Melton explained, stems from "inter-squabbling between producers and Lionsgate. They just can’t quite get on the same page."

Originally, frequent franchise director Kevin Gruetert was set to helm the project, announced back in December 2023 with a September 2024 release date. However, fans were disappointed when the film's release was pushed back an entire year to September 2025. This delay came as a blow, especially after the success of Saw X, the 10th installment, which revitalized the franchise by earning over $120 million globally during its theatrical run. This success had executives eager to move forward with Saw XI.

What makes this delay even more frustrating is that Saw XI was poised to tackle a relevant and timely topic. While specific plot details remain under wraps, Melton hinted that the film's narrative would echo themes from Saw VI, which he co-wrote with Dunstan and was directed by Gruetert. In Saw VI, John Kramer, aka Jigsaw (played by Tobin Bell), targets health insurance executives. Melton expressed hope for the film's eventual release, stating, "Saw XI may or may not be made, but we have a very timely story in it, and I hope it gets made just because of that."

He further elaborated on the film's themes, saying, "It taps into the same themes of Saw VI, 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." Given the current state of the world, it would have been fascinating to see the Saw franchise revisit these themes and explore them in a new light. Unfortunately, it seems we may never get the chance to see how this story unfolds.