SAW: Blumhouse to Acquire Billion Dollar Horror Franchise Rights

Blumhouse is finalizing a major deal to acquire rights to the Saw franchise from Twisted Pictures, marking a major shift in control of the billion-dollar horror property. The potential deal would reunite director James Wan with the franchise he co-created, as Blumhouse looks to partner with Lionsgate for future projects.

Blumhouse acquiring rights to SAW franchise to partner with Lionsgate

According to Deadline, the deal would shift control from Twisted’s Mark Burg and Oren Koules to Blumhouse, bringing director James Wan closer to the franchise he co-created with Leigh Whannell. Wan directed the original Saw (2004) and remained executive producer on the subsequent films. Lionsgate will retain its 50% stake and continue to distribute future installments.

Talks between Blumhouse and Twisted Pictures began in 2023 but previously stalled due to disagreements over the sale price. The negotiations resumed and are now reportedly close to completion.

If finalized, the deal would also grant James Wan an ownership stake in the franchise via his production company, Atomic Monster, which merged with Blumhouse in January 2024. Jason Blum heads the merged entity.

The Saw franchise launched with a $1.2 million budget and grossed $104 million globally. The first film opened with $18.2 million in the U.S. and became one of the most profitable horror films of its time. Over 10 films, the franchise has earned more than $1 billion at the global box office and expanded into video games, theme park attractions, comics, and licensed merchandise.

The most recent film, Saw X, released in 2023. An 11th installment was in development, with a script turned in by Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan in 2024. However, the project stalled due to creative disagreements between Lionsgate and producers. As of now, there is no official update on whether the next entry will be a film, television series, or other format.

Twisted Pictures originally backed the franchise after watching Wan and Whannell’s short film pitch. Lionsgate has handled distribution since the first movie’s release in 2004.

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