Saw creators James Wan an Leigh Whannell wanted to kill Jigsaw and move on after Saw 3 because they didn't want to be "one-hit-wonders"

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James Wan and Leigh Whannell don't regret leaving Saw

Saw X
(Image credit: Lionsgate)

Despite the franchise being back in creators James Wan and Leigh Whannell's hands with the duo leading Saw 11, it doesn't sound like they regret exiting the franchise all those years ago.

"I didn’t do the sequels because I felt I had already made the movie I wanted to make,” said Wan to Bloody Disgusting. Wan made his directorial debut with Saw in 2004, but then moved on swiftly after that. "It wasn’t for a lack of money either," added Wan. As for Whannell, who wrote and starred in Saw, the writer stayed on to pen the next two movies before departing.

Whannell said, "I was like, 'Yeah, I think I’m done here. I can’t think of any more ways to kill someone with a power drill.'" The writer practically ended the franchise by killing Jigsaw, aka John Kramer, at the end of Saw 3 when a victim cut his throat with a power saw. However, later films made sure to still involve Tobin Bell's serial killer via flashbacks and set certain movies before the events of Saw 3.

So why did the duo leave the franchise, especially after the first Saw movie did so well? "We had this fear of like, we didn’t want Saw to be our epitaph," said Whannell. The pair then went on to create the Insidious franchise, which has so far spanned five movies with one more on the way. "When we did Insidious, it was a big sigh of relief," continues Whannell, "because luckily we were not one-hit-wonders."

Megan Garside
Junior Social Media Editor, GamesRadar+

I'm the Junior Social Media Editor here at GamesRadar+, handling all of Total Film's social platforms. However, I also write, covering all things film and TV for the site's entertainment section. I joined GamesRadar+ in 2023 and have been here ever since. I previously worked in communications after graduating with an MA in journalism. In my spare time, you can find me binging horror movies or getting lost in a cosy little game on my Switch.

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