The past seven days

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Lionsgate developing new Saw installment

This has been rumored for about 3 years now and while there is no script or motion in place, there is word that Lionsgate is actively developing an 8th film in the Saw franchise. The company is looking for a way to continue one of the most, if not the most, profitable horror franchises in history. Saw basically dominated Halloween from 2004-2010 starting with James Wan's feature film debut. Since Saw fell off the radar after an extremely disappointing finish with Saw 3D, the Halloween box office has been handed over to the Paranormal Activity franchise.
If you have never seen a Saw movie you are probably living under a rock. Especially since there are seven of them. Google it.

Now... with this said we have to keep in mind that there is apparently no rush for Lionsgate. There were rumors of a Saw reboot, but sources are claiming the company wants to stay true and just continue on with an 8th installment.



Not happy... not happy at all. Saw 3D was an ass raping to all fans back in 2010 and I can't even imagine what they would continue with. Go home, Lionsgate. You're drunk.


The bigger picture here is who Lionsgate would tap to direct. I am highly doubting any of the four previous directors would jump on the opportunity to direct an 8th film or a reboot. Let's take a look at what our Saw alums are up to:

James Wan:
Wan directed Saw in 2004 and was half of the founding team of the franchise along with Leigh Whannell. He co-wrote the film and directed the original short which featured Whannell in the lead role. He stayed on as an executive producer up until Saw 3D in 2010. However, since Saw we have seen films such as Dead Silence, Insidious, The Conjuring, and Insidious: Chapter 2 and is considered to be one of the best horror directors in the past 10 years. He is also currently directing Fast and Furious 7. In other words, he has moved on to much bigger and better things.
Return odds - no way in hell

Darren Lynn Bousman:
Bousman directed Saw II, III, and IV for our viewing pleasure and was one of two directors to basically get screwed in the end. Bousman chose not to direct Saw V and went on to direct Repo! The Genetic Opera, Mother's Day, and The Devil's Carnival. Not bad films but all are fairly low profile projects, but he seems content with that. In fact, on the Devil's Carnival road shows he refuses to sign any Saw merchandise for fans.
Return odds - no way in hell

David Hackl:
Hackl gave us the second to worst Saw film in the entire franchise with Saw V. The production designer turned director has done essentially nothing since Saw V. He re-teamed with Bousman and served as a production designer for Repo! The Genetic Opera and The Barrens. He currently has a project called Red Machine that is in post-production.
Return odds - plausible

Kevin Greutert:
Greutert gave us the best film since Saw III with Saw VI in 2009. He had served as editor since Saw and was hired to direct VI and did a pretty great job. However, Mark Burg and Oren Koules chose to royally screw Kevin over with Saw 3D and it was apparent that he just didn't give a shit because it was the worst Saw movie to date. Since then Kevin has edited The Collection and directed a film called Jessabelle that is scheduled for release in August 2014.
Return odds - no way in hell

Leigh Whannell:
Whannell never directed a Saw film, but was the co-writer of the original concept with James Wan. He starred as Adam in Saw and Saw III and served as writer on Saw II and Saw III. Whannell even wrote the concepts for the Saw: Rebirth short and the Saw video game.  He also stayed on as an executive producer along with Wan up until Saw 3D. However, he has remained with James Wan and has also moved onto better things. He co-wrote Insidious and Insidious: Chapter 2 and starred in both films as Specs. He also co-wrote Wan's film Dead Silence. He is currently rumored to be on board for Insidious: Chapter 3. Some of us Saw geeks have joked about Whannell directing a future Saw film, but the keyword is "joked." He left Saw a long time ago.
Return odds - no way in hell


Long story short, Lionsgate will have to do some serious convincing to get any of these guys back or they will have to find a new director. I am betting on the latter.


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