Saw 10 Has Been Written But It's Not Clear If It'll Get Made

Guess who's back, back again? Yeah, Jigsaw's back, tell a friend. When Lionsgate decided to revive the "Saw" franchise in 2017 with "Jigsaw," no one — not even "Saw" fans — was sure it would be worth it. Since then, "Saw" sequel "Spiral" (the ninth film in the franchise) was released in 2021, and now, it seems we may have a true "Saw" resurgence on our hands.

"Spiral" screenwriter Josh Stolberg took to Twitter to comment on the script for the upcoming installment after a fan asked him if a cool, seemingly fan-made "Saw X" poster was a harbinger for things to come. "I can't comment on anything that hasn't been officially announced by #TwistedPictures or @Lionsgate," Stolberg replied in a retweet of the art. "What I can tell you is that this is my favorite script of the three #Saw movies I've written."

This isn't the first time the writer — who is also known for writing late aughts horror "Sorority Row" and the comedy "Good Luck Chuck" — has spoken about the potential film's script several times online over the last few months.

"Back with my horror family, polishing up the next @Saw script. I could tell you There will be [blood], but you know that already," Stolberg wrote alongside a selfie with his writing partner on both "Spiral" and "Jigsaw," Pete Goldfinger, and producer Oren Koules on December 14, 2021. "What I can promise you is that this is gonna make John Kramer fans very happy!!!" 

Later that month, he returned to social media to reveal he had finished the job. "One last read through before pressing SEND. Oh, the places we'll go..." he wrote alongside a screenshot from the script that read, "Cue music. As the iconic 'Hello Zepp' theme begins to play..."

The series has had a lot of chances to ensnare a new audience, so it will be interesting to see how Stolberg plans to lock in a new generation of fans as we embark on a 2.0 version of the franchise. It seemed clear with "Saw 3D" in 2010 that fans were just about tapped at the well when it came to the torture porn fare the movies had become famous for. Two years later, Lionsgate decided to go back into development, because when there's money involved, it's hard to let a dead dog lie, even one that had been put through the wringer by John Kramer. 

In 2017, "Jigsaw" — the eighth installment — was born. And here we are, still trucking along on the "Saw" train out of pure nostalgia. Considering Stolberg's comments about John Kramer fans, it seems like we might return to his direct influence somehow, though who knows what the entry point will be. We've had a lot of "Saw" movies over the years, and one thing we can't complain about is their ability to reinvent within the familiar — so it's certain that no matter the method, they'll do just that.

Although we've been getting a lot of promising communication from Stolberg on the next chapter of the "Saw" story, it remains to be seen whether or not "Saw X" will be made, at least as written by Stolberg. /Film reported in April 2021 that the film was already in development before "Spiral" hit theatres — and while Lionsgate has clearly been pleased with the screenwriter in the past, they may not want to go down the route he takes the franchise in this new script.

Personally, I have my issues with the tone and story of "Spiral," and found myself pretty disappointed in the finished product I saw in theatres. But I do know it made a ton of money, and that does a lot of the talking, maybe even more than audience taste. So ultimately, we'll have to wait and see what becomes of Stolberg's script — because no matter what happens to his version of the story, it has been clear that another installment was always likely.

"Just because we made 'Spiral' doesn't mean 'Saw' ceases to exist," director Darren Lynn Bousman told TheAUReview.com ahead of the film's May 2021 release. "Just because 'Spiral' is here, that doesn't mean there won't be a 'Saw IX.' This is not the ninth film in the 'Saw' franchise. There easily could be a 'Saw IX' that follows 'Jigsaw. I think they're waiting to see how 'Spiral' goes and how audiences respond to determine what happens next."