James Wan will “never say never” to directing another Saw movie, although the prospect is unlikely.

The Australian filmmaker got his big break 20 years ago when he and his friend Leigh Whannell created the gory horror franchise, which has since spawned nine more films, video games and even a theme park attraction.

While Wan has remained involved in the series as an executive producer, he decided to move on to other projects after directing the 2004 original.

In an interview with People to celebrate its 20th anniversary, Wan insisted it would take “something extremely special” for him to return in a directorial capacity.

“I would never say never, but it would have to be something extremely special for me to want to step back in,” the Aquaman director said. “And right now, I have so many other projects that I’m cooking in the pipeline that mean a lot to me. So I would rather work on those and see those get off the ground before something else that I’ve already done.”

Wan, who has since directed films such as Insidious, The Conjuring and Fast & Furious 7, is currently working on a remake of The Creature from the Black Lagoon.

Reflecting on the trajectory of the Saw franchise, the filmmaker praised “all of the subsequent directors” that came after him but admitted he “would’ve taken certain things on a different path” if he’d remained at the helm.

“They’ve all done a great job shepherding this franchise and (continuing) to make as many as they have,” he added. “So kudos to them for knowing what to do, and the direction of where they felt they needed to take it.”

The tenth instalment, Saw X, was released last year. A sequel is due to be released in September 2025.

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