Rumor: New ‘Saw’ Sequel on the Way From the Writers of ‘Piranha 3D’
Rumors have persisted for years that Lionsgate wasn’t quite done with the Saw franchise — even though the last sequel was titled Saw 3D: The Final Chapter. But titles are meaningless as long as there’s money to be made, and with that pesky Paranormal Activity franchise out of the way (for now), it looks like Lionsgate is reviving the franchise that introduced us to James Wan, Jigsaw and a multi-film timeline so convoluted it would give Quentin Tarantino the spins.
The report originates at Bloody-Disgusting, so take it with a grain of salt, etc. Lionsgate has reportedly hired Josh Stolberg and Pete Goldfinger to script the eighth Saw film, which would be titled Saw: Legacy. Paging Matt Singer, we may have another legacyquel on our hands.
Stolberg and Goldfinger’s previous credits include Sorority Row, Piranha 3D and Piranha 3DD, so while they have a strong familiarity with the horror genre, they’re more acquainted with the campier, sillier side of things — not exactly the guys you might consider for a new Saw movie, but perhaps Lionsgate has other ideas.
The first Saw film was a hit when it was released in 2004, as a low-budget, inventive horror film from a then-unknown director named James Wan and his screenwriting partner, Leigh Whannell. Wan and Whannell continued to produce the increasingly, ridiculously complex sequels; Whannell wrote Saw II and Saw III for director Darren Lynn Bousman before filmmaking duo Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan took over the four remaining films in the series.
Wan and Whannell will remain on as executive producers, which — if this report is true — is a bit of optimistic news for die hard fans of the franchise. Then again, Wan is keeping pretty busy: his sequel to The Conjuring hits theaters this summer, and he’s set to direct Aquaman for Warner Bros. next.