With it only being early summer, it’s a bit surprising to be hearing Saw news. By this time the current year’s Saw is typically well under way, with little to report on until Comic-con, and the next chapter is almost never given a full green light until Halloween, when the franchise shows just how much staying power it has.
I think Lionsgate has grown confident enough in the franchise to start making plans a lot earlier. This year we’re finding out director plans for Saw VI, which probably won’t go into production until after November of this year, with a planned Halloween 2009 release date.
Bloody-Disgusting reports that current Saw director, David Hackl, who makes his directorial debut with Saw V after serving as a production designer on the last three chapters, will call it quits after this one film. Instead, Kevin Greutert, who has edited all of the Saw pictures, will take the directing reigns.
I can’t help but wonder if changing directors every picture is going to spell problems for the franchise that had been under one director for the past three pictures (Darren Lynn Bousman directed Saws II, III, and IV). With one director the films had the chance to gain some sort of cohesion, created under the same vision. With a changing slate of directors, I’m not sure that same vibe will be there. Then again, maybe the movies need to change a little bit, especially with primary character Jigsaw dead, but yet somehow present, so a changing of the director may be what the franchise needs.
