Horror fans sit up and pay attention, as your world just changed forever. Blumhouse Productions has dropped the bombshell that they’ve acquired the rights to the iconic Saw franchise from Twisted Pictures. Lionsgate will retain its 50% stake and remain a production partner.
This development, confirmed by Deadline earlier today, is a game-changing moment for the billion-dollar horror franchise and should breathe new life into it under the stewardship of a studio considered to be the modern masters of horror. As an added bonus, this move reconnects Saw with its co-creator James Wan, who’s best positioned to refresh or even fully reboot it.
Saw debuted in 2004 from Wan and Leigh Whannell, and rapidly dominated horror with its intricate traps, psychological depth, and the chilling presence of Tobin Bell’s Jigsaw. Ten films later and with over $1 billion grossed, its visceral horror and social commentary made it a true cultural phenomenon.
Blumhouse is acquiring the rights to the ‘SAW’ franchise, with Lionsgate remaining onboard as a partner.
— Cinema Wire
James Wan will oversee the series moving forward.
(Source: https://t.co/V85lFh2oQ7) pic.twitter.com/0FBBKqexjC(@CinemaWireNews) June 4, 2025
But in the last few years, even Jigsaw couldn’t put the pieces together. Spiral: From the Book of Saw (2021) underperformed, and Saw XI’s planned 2025 release was derailed by disputes between Lionsgate and Twisted Pictures. These setbacks left fans wondering if Saw was sputtering out like so many other sequel-heavy horror franchises.
Blumhouse to the rescue?
If Blumhouse really is set on fully rebooting the SAW franchise, at least Tobin Bell got the perfect send-off he deserved! https://t.co/NDTjbXi1oA pic.twitter.com/z7AZatMzjO
— 𝚁𝚘𝚋𝚎𝚛𝚝 𝙰𝚗𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚗𝚢 (@robanthonyeadon) June 5, 2025
But Blumhouse are now Saw fans’ knights in shining armor. The studio has built a well-deserved reputation as a horror powerhouse, with hits like Paranormal Activity, The Purge, and Get Out. On top of that, they’ve proved they can bring back classic horror from the dead, as seen with Halloween and The Exorcist.
This deal may well have saved Saw. Blumhouse’s track record of smartly sustaining franchises (see The Purge spawning sequels and a TV series) shows it can deliver the consistency and craft Saw demands.
However, the acquisition isn’t without skepticism. Horror fans still grit their teeth over Blumhouse’s Halloween Ends (which is not as bad as everyone says!) and The Exorcist: Believer. But, with Wan set to play a role in this new era for Saw, I think we should be confident that a new entry will be fast-tracked and hit the mark.
Here’s hoping we get a full-fat Saw entry that shows younger horror fans why Jigsaw has such a fearsome reputation in the horror pantheon. Sure, the previous movies have pulled apart characters in terrible and impossibly sadistic ways, but I’m betting there’s still some gasoline left in the tank.
