Summary

• Director Kevin Greutert, who directed Saw X and other previous sequels, is reportedly returning to helm the confirmed Saw 11.
• Greutert's return could be good news for the sequel as Saw X is the best-received installment in the franchise since the original.
• The departure of Saw X writers Josh Stolberg and Pete Goldfinger is potentially worrying, however.

the Saw franchise has gone on to become one of the longest-running horror properties, following Jigsaw (Tobin Bell) as he punishes different victims using elaborate torture traps. The tenth installment in the franchise was released last year, becoming a critical and commercial success, and Lionsgate officially confirmed in December that an eleventh film is on the way.

As Saw 11's release date inches ever closer, Bloody Disgusting now reports that Saw X director Kevin Greutert will be returning to helm the sequel. Before he stepped behind the camera on the most recent sequel, Greutert was an editor on multiple installments in the franchise, including Saw II, Saw III, Saw IV, Saw V, and Jigsaw, as well as the director of Saw XI and Saw 3D.

Kevin Greutert's Return Is Good News For Saw 11

But The Saw Sequel Still Faces One Big Challenge

While Greutert has directed some poorly received installments in the long-running horror series, there's no denying that his work on Saw X helped to rejuvenate the franchise. 2021's Spiral, after all, was not a hit critically or commercially, and it certainly cast doubt on how much longer the franchise could go on. Saw X, however, was more character-focused than previous sequels, following Jigsaw as he becomes the victim of a medical scam in Mexico while seeking treatment for his cancer.

Saw 11 story details remain hard to come by, but producer Oren Koules previously teased to GamesRadar's SFX Magazine that the film might be a direct sequel to Saw X instead of jumping to a new place in the timeline.

The film went back to the franchise's roots in many ways while also offering plenty of horrifying traps and gore. The Saw X reviews were some of the franchise's best, with critics praising the fresh approach and surprisingly nuanced journey for Jigsaw. It wasn't just critics who enjoyed Jigsaw's most recent outing, with audiences also showing up in theaters for the movie. Made on a budget of just $13 million, the film ended up pulling in $111.8 million at the box office.

Unfortunately, however, Saw X writers Pete Goldfinger and Josh Stolberg have confirmed that they are not returning for the next sequel. While Greutert was a big reason for the most recent film's success, the script certainly was too, and it remains to be seen whether Saw 11 will be able to maintain this same level of quality with different writers.

Source: Bloody Disgusting