Like any horror movie villain, you can’t keep a dead deal dead.
The on-again, off-again talks of Blumhouse acquiring part of long-running horror franchise Saw are back on, and this time may actually be far enough to close.
Blumhouse is in the midst of a deal to take over the ownership stake of Saw from Twisted Pictures, the banner run by Oren Koules and Mark Burg. Twisted co-owns the rights with Lionsgate, which has distributed the films since the releasing the first film in 2004.
If a deal makes, it would bring the franchise back into the partial hands of James Wan, the filmmaker who directed that movie and created the franchise with co-writer Leigh Whannell. Blumhouse, run by Jason Blum, merged with Wan’s production banner, Atomic Monster, in early January 2024.
The talks between Blumhouse and Twisted began last year but broke down earlier this year. A sale price was one of the big sticking points.
Made for only $1.2 million, Saw became one of the most profitable horror movies of all time when it opened to $18.2 million domestically and earned $104 million worldwide. Home entertainment was equally massive (this was the DVD era, after all) and a franchise, that encompassed 10 movies as well as merchandizing, video games and more, followed.
The last Saw movie was the 2023’s Saw X. An 11th movie was in the works but stalled out.
It is unclear what the plans for any new stories would entail — more movies? a series? — but the deal is the latest in a growing number that have creatives or filmmakers own, partially or entirely, their creations. Koules and Burg reportedly financed most of Saw’s budget after first seeing Wan and Whannel’s short film. Wan, off the success of Saw, went on to create or co-create the Insidious horror franchise and The Conjuring horror universe.