When Saw 3D, the last film in the franchise, hit theaters in October of 2010 its box office numbers were rather surprising. While many long running series tend to see their final installment make an insane amount of cash (just look at Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 from this summer), the performance of Saw 3D was rather underwhelming, making only $22 million in its opening weekend and by the end of its run it was the second worst performer of all the sequels, beating only Saw VI. With that in mind, it was fitting that the franchise would not return, as it was plainly obvious that people just didn't care anymore. Apparently nobody told Lionsgate about that.
Studio Vice Chairman Michael Burns recently made a stop to CNBC (via Bloody Disgusting) to talk about the potential merger between Lionsgate and Summit. But while there wasn't much to say about the two companies' business dealings, Burns did drop a bit of interesting information about the future of the Saw franchise. Talking about upcoming projects, the executive said, " "I'm sure, some day, you'll see Saw back in the picture." While obviously this doesn't mean that they are currently on the hunt for a script and a director, the statement does undermine previous reports that Saw 3D was the last of the franchise.
While I could totally see this happening, I wouldn't be surprised if Burns is just blowing smoke. CNBC is a business channel and what better way to try and make your stock price inflate then by suggesting that one of the studio's most successful franchises will return? By saying "some day" he totally takes the pressure off himself, as that could very well mean 600 years from now. Ultimately the thing to take away from this story is that it's possible the Saw series could have another sequel, but don't expect it any time soon.
