Blumhouse has officially closed a deal to acquire an ownership stake in the “Saw” franchise with original creator James Wan returning to the series he helped create more than 20 years ago…
Blumhouse has officially closed a deal to acquire an ownership stake in the “Saw” franchise after buying out the previous owners at Twisted Pictures.
As part of the deal, Lionsgate also remains an owner in the franchise and will continue to distribute the films under the studio’s label. As part of the transaction, Content Partners has acquired a stake in the existing library alongside Mark Burg’s retained share.
The deal returns the “Saw” franchise to original series creator James Wan, who made the original film with longtime friend and collaborator Leigh Whannell when it was first released in 2004. Wan’s company Atomic Monster merged with Blumhouse in 2024 and now he’ll get the chance to supervise future installments of the series.
“Saw holds a special place in my heart—it’s where Leigh and I began our Hollywood journey,” Wan said in a press release. “Coming back to this world with a fresh perspective is both thrilling and deeply personal. For me, this will mark a significant creative return to the Saw franchise for the first time since the early days, and I’m very much looking forward to embracing the original spirit whilst pushing the legacy forward in bold, unexpected ways.”
There was concern that perhaps the “Saw” franchise was already dead and buried after the previous owners and the studio couldn’t come to terms on a new planned sequel that was eventually shelved. At that stage, it appeared the standoff might end with “Saw” being stuck in limbo with no plans to release future films.
That all changed with Blumhouse getting involved in buying the franchise after previously negotiating a similar deal but the talks broke off over a disagreement on financial terms. Now Blumhouse has officially acquired an ownership stake in the “Saw” franchise, which will help launch new films with other potential crossovers into TV or even games.
“The Saw franchise has defined a generation of horror, and its cultural impact continues to grow, making this a strategic investment in one of the most recognizable and successful genre properties of the last two decades,” Blumhouse founder Jason Blum said.
“But what really excites me about bringing Saw to Blumhouse is having James and Leigh back in the fold and to see the future of the franchise come to life with their guidance.”
The original “Saw” was made for just $1.2 million but ended up earning more than $100 million at the box office. It also launched Wan and Whannell’s careers with both going onto work on numerous high profile projects including “The Conjuring” universe, the “Insidious” universe” and other major films.
There’s no word on how quickly Blumhouse might get moving on a new “Saw” film or if there’s a chance they reboot the entire franchise but at least we know more films from this universe are coming now that the new owners are in place.
