‘Saw II’ Director Unveils the Only Way the Franchise Can Stay Alive

(SeaPRwire) –   A person’s favorite Saw film can reveal a great deal about them. Many viewers swear by the first entry in the franchise, but there are tons of compelling picks to choose from. You might prefer the collaborative group dynamic of Saw V, the big Dr. Gordon reveal in Saw VII, or the unexpected plot twist that flipped expectations in Saw X. For me, though, the choice is obvious: Saw II, as I’m a big fan of director Darren Lynn Bousman.

Bousman penned an entirely standalone screenplay titled The Desperate, which was turned down for bearing too close a resemblance to Saw. But once producers of Saw caught wind of the project, he was hired to helm the blockbuster’s follow-up. He later went on to direct both Saw III and Saw IV. Given his major role in shaping Saw’s legacy, Inverse sat down with Bousman to discuss the franchise’s recent struggles and its potential path forward.

2023’s Saw X was initially meant to kick off a brand new chapter for the Saw franchise. However, Saw XI never came to fruition as planned. It was first slated for a September 2024 theatrical release, before being pushed back an entire 12 months to September 2025. After that, it was pulled from the 2025 release slate entirely, with no new premiere date set at the time.

That lack of forward movement didn’t mean development on the project hadn’t already started. Per The Hollywood Reporter, scribes Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan submitted a full draft of the screenplay in spring 2024, but never received any response on their work. “The hold-up is at the executive level,” Melton shared. “It doesn’t have anything to do with the creative side or other similar factors. Decisions being made above that tier are the issue.” Reportedly, the screenplay centered on a “very relevant, of-the-moment story,” comparable to the topical traps featured in Saw VI.

For a period, it looked like the franchise might be done entirely. That changed in June 2025, when Blumhouse — which recently completed its acquisition of James Wan’s production banner Atomic Monster — purchased the rights to the Saw franchise. This deal puts the series’ original creators, James Wan and Leigh Whannell, back in charge of all creative decisions for the property.

So what does another prominent Saw director make of this shift? “I believe the path they’re taking is the only way Saw can keep going, because the franchise has gotten so tangled up with overlapping timelines, sub-timelines and meta storylines that it’s getting harder and harder for new viewers to jump in and follow what’s happening,” Darren Lynn Bousman told Inverse in an interview timed to the theatrical re-release of his 2008 musical feature Repo! The Genetic Opera.

“The only way it can have any longevity moving forward, in my opinion, is to hit a hard reset,” he added. “There’s no one more qualified to do that than James and Leigh, who built the franchise from the ground up. That being said, I hope they don’t discard the established canon of the 10 films we’ve already made, because there’s an enormous, dedicated fan base that loves those entries.”

Bousman noted he was just as surprised as fans by the cancellation of Saw XI. “It was such a wild turn of events, because Saw X released and performed incredibly well at the box office. It basically breathed new life into the whole franchise. And now they’re going to reboot it entirely.”

While he is no longer involved in the franchise’s creative process, Bousman remains as eager as any fan to see what comes next for the series. “I’m really interested to see what they come up with, and whether they can recapture that special magic again,” he shared. “Only time will tell.”