The the Saw franchise.
It all started with a short film in 2003 that went on to become a feature film in 2004, directed by Wan and starring Whannell as Adam Stanheight, one of the main characters. Saw got mixed reviews by critics but was very well received by the audience, making way for a franchise with nine movies and more in development. As happens with big franchises, especially in the horror genre, not all movies have been successful, and there have been two attempts so far to revive interest in it: Jigsaw, released in 2017, and Spiral, released in 2021, though both didn’t really have the impact writers and producers were hoping for.
Spiral was better received but it still didn’t click with the audience, in big part due to the coronavirus pandemic limiting its exposure, so a question arises: should the Saw franchise go through another reboot after Spiral?
As Saw X movie is in development, there’s also a TV series based on Spiral said to be in development, which could be an effective way to wipe the slate clean and move forward with new stories.
Ultimately, the ones who will decide if the Saw franchise should be rebooted again or not after the disappointing results of Spiral are viewers, as they might not be interested in anything from this universe anymore or they might be open to a new twist in it, which is what Spiral was intended to do. The Saw franchise can have a new life with a new direction that doesn’t involve John Kramer, but it all depends on whether the audience will be open to that after all these years of Saw movies or not.
