Saw XI's co-writer and director have broken their silence on the movie's shock cancellation.
This week, reports emerged that the horror sequel – which was due for release this year – had been axed due to studio-level disagreements, leaving fans devastated.
Co-writer Melton has now corroborated those claims, saying they "haven’t heard anything" since he and fellow writer Marcus Dunstan turned in a draft screenplay of the Saw film last year.
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"It’s stalled at a managerial level," he told The Hollywood Reporter. "It has nothing to do with the creative or anything else. There’s higher-level things at play."
Melton further explained: "The reason it’s held up is just, there’s inter-squabbling between producers and Lionsgate. They just can’t quite get on the same page."
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He added that whether it "may or may not be made", the planned film tackles a "very timely story" that bears some similarities to Saw VI – which focuses on health insurance executives – that he hopes sees the light of day.
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"It taps into the same themes of Saw VI, where you’re a citizen, you feel angry and frustrated with something, you feel like you can’t do anything, and John Kramer’s going to do it," the writer added.
Director Kevin Greutert has also broken his silence, sharing in a comment on a Reddit post about the cancellation: "Let's just say that this past year+ has been among the saddest and most frustrating of my life."
He also thanked various fans for their support.
Greutert was set to continue as director after helming 2023's Saw X, while Tobin Bell, Shawnee Smith and Costas Mandylor were due to return to star.
Sam is a freelance reporter and sub-editor who has a particular interest in movies, TV and music. After completing a journalism Masters at City University, London, Sam joined Digital Spy as a reporter, and has also freelanced for publications such as NME and Screen International. Sam, who also has a degree in Film, can wax lyrical about everything from Lord of the Rings to Love Is Blind, and is equally in his element crossing every 't' and dotting every 'i' as a sub-editor.
