The Crucial Element that Could Determine the Future of the Jigsaw Franchise

Warning: SPOILERS lie ahead for Saw X!

Summary

Saw X producers, Mark Burg and Oren Koules, are exercising caution regarding the franchise's future. They intend to gauge the audience's response before committing to any definite plans.

Several concepts for future installments have been considered, one of which includes a potential movie featuring Detective Hoffman and the emergence of Cecilia as a new adversary.

While fans were pleased with Tobin Bell's return as Jigsaw, the character's future in the franchise is posing challenges due to the timeline and past criticisms of convoluted flashbacks in previous sequels.

After the successful return of Tobin Bell, producers Mark Burg and Oren Koules address the potential future of Jigsaw in the Saw X franchise. In the latest installment of the horror series, Tobin Bell reprises his role as the iconic John Kramer, also known as Jigsaw, who finds himself caught in a personal game of traps in Mexico City after being fooled by a group of con artists claiming to have cured his cancer. With the participation of franchise veterans Shawnee Smith, director/editor Kevin Greutert, and writing duo Josh Stolberg and Peter Goldfinger, Saw X has pleasantly surprised both critics and audiences. It has not only received a Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes but has also been certified as "Fresh".

Screen Rant interviewed Burg and Koules exclusively to discuss the making of Saw X before its release. When asked about their plans for the future of the franchise, especially regarding Bell's Jigsaw, the producing duo were cautious. They emphasized that the audience's response will determine the direction they take. Here's what Burg and Koules explained:

Oren Koules: We're superstitious, so we don't plan too far ahead until this movie is released. The audience's feedback guides our decisions, as we understand that some people may like certain characters while others may not.

Mark Burg: We'll start October 2 thinking about, if this movie works, where should the story go.

How The Saw Franchise Can Extend John Kramer's Storyline Further

In both the lead up to and aftermath of the new film's release, Burg and Koules have expressed their strong belief in the possibility of a Saw 11 being produced soon. The duo previously reiterated their superstitious nature when it comes to planning future chapters in the franchise, but hinted at having ideas for the direction to take. Two of their concepts for the future have suggested the continuation of Detective Hoffman's story after his unexpected comeback in the mid-credits scene of Saw X, while another has alluded to the potential threat posed by Cecilia's survival.

The future of Bell's Jigsaw character in the franchise is uncertain, despite the positive reception of his return in the latest installment. It was widely known before the movie's release that it takes place shortly after the original Saw, making it close in time to the 2005 follow-up. This leaves very little room before Jigsaw's well-known demise in Saw III, with only a six-month gap between the two films.

While Burg and Koules have different ideas, Greutert believes that there is no clear direction for the franchise to take after Saw X, especially when it comes to Jigsaw's story. Many of the sequels after Saw III faced criticism from both critics and audiences for their overly complicated use of flashbacks to keep Bell's character involved. However, the gamble of setting the new movie as a midquel paid off, as it had a powerful and emotionally resonant narrative for Kramer. If the writing and producing team can find another creative way to bring Jigsaw back for Saw 11, it is hoped that it will be as captivating as its predecessor.