Mike P. Nelson Will Direct the Next Saw Movie as James Wan Returns to Produce

The next Saw film is moving forward with Mike P. Nelson directing. In a September 24 announcement, Lionsgate and Blumhouse Atomic Monster named Nelson, the film’s writers and its producers. It is the eleventh film planned for the franchise, but no final title or release date was announced.

The news gives the long-running horror series a new creative team after an earlier Saw XI project lost its place on Lionsgate’s release calendar. The distinction matters: a new film has been announced, but the old date, script and casting expectations do not automatically carry over.

Who is directing and writing the new Saw movie?

Nelson is directing from a screenplay credited to Gregory Weidman and Geoff Tock. The studio announcement describes their work as the script for this film; it does not credit them with the abandoned version of Saw XI.

Nelson previously directed The Domestics, Wrong Turn (2021) and Silent Night, Deadly Night, as well as a segment of V/H/S/85. He also directed the forthcoming Beware Boiúna. Our Boiúna coverage discusses the folklore behind that separate film. In his brief statement about Saw, Nelson pointed to the original movie’s mystery and promised new, bloody ideas. That describes an ambition, not a disclosed plot.

What is James Wan’s role?

James Wan, Jason Blum and Leigh Whannell are producing. Wan directed the first Saw and Whannell wrote it, so their named roles in this announcement are a notable creative return.

James Wan, who directed the original Saw and returns as a producer on the new film. Gage Skidmore, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0). Wan has not been announced as director, and neither Wan nor Whannell is listed as one of the new film’s credited screenwriters.

The change follows Blumhouse’s 2025 acquisition of Twisted Pictures’ stake in the franchise. Lionsgate retained its stake and remains the distributor; Blumhouse Atomic Monster is producing the new film. That explains the companies and filmmakers now attached without establishing what the story will be.

Is it officially called Saw XI?

Not yet. The official Saw account’s September 24 video is an announcement teaser, not a full movie trailer. It features Billy the Puppet; Entertainment Weekly’s account of the video says the script shown on screen reads “UNTITLED SAW” and names Nelson as director. “The eleventh Saw film” describes its place in the series, but Saw XI has not been confirmed as this project’s final title.

The teaser is linked at its original account above. It is not a cast announcement: Billy’s appearance does not confirm that Tobin Bell will return as John Kramer.

What happened to the earlier Saw XI?

An earlier project was dated for September 27, 2024, then moved to September 26, 2025. Lionsgate removed it from the 2025 calendar and gave that slot to The Strangers: Chapter 2. Those are historical dates for the previous iteration, not release plans for Nelson’s film.

The September 2026 announcement names a new director and new writers. It does not say whether any story material from the earlier project survives. Previous cast reports and creative credits should therefore not be read as confirmations for this version.

Is Tobin Bell returning, and when will it be released?

No cast has been announced for the new film, including Bell. Lionsgate and Blumhouse have not disclosed a plot, filming start, location, runtime, rating, streaming plan or final title. No release date has been announced. The official video is an announcement teaser; no full official trailer for this film has been verified.