“Saw XI’ has officially been removed from Lionsgate’s release calendar for 2025 with “The Strangers: Chapter 2” taking it’s place in September….
“Saw XI” has officially been removed from the release calendar for 2025 but that doesn’t mean the franchise is officially dead.
Following reports that original plans for the latest “Saw” sequel were scrapped due to infighting and disagreements with producers that potentially spelled the end of the horror franchise, Lionsgate released a statement on Tuesday to the Hollywood Reporter attributed to the infamous Billy the Puppet from the “Saw” franchise addressing the future of the series.
“I’ve seen the rumors. They say it’s Game Over. You all should know me better than that. The game is never over.”
What that means for the future is unknown but obviously Lionsgate isn’t giving up on making another “Saw” film, although the release date planned for later this year is no longer happening.
Instead, “The Strangers: Chapter 2” is now on the schedule with that sequel set for release on September 26.
Madelaine Petsch returns in the lead role after the harrowing events of “The Strangers: Chapter 1” ended with her character still alive but being stalked by the three masked killers who came after her and her boyfriend at an isolated cabin in the middle of nowhere in Oregon. “The Strangers” was actually filmed as a trilogy with all three movies shot back-to-back with the original plan to release them all in the same year.
Unfortunately, “The Strangers: Chapter 1” did not receive the warmest reception with the film earning criticism as a lackluster addition to the past films in the series — especially in comparison to the original “Strangers” movie from writer and director Bryan Bertino released in 2008. The film did earn $48 million at the box office on just an $8.5 million budget.
While release plans for the trilogy were changed with rumors surrounding reshoots after the reaction to the first film, “The Strangers: Chapter 2” is finally set for release on September.