OriginalSawDirector James Wan Praises Franchise but 'Would've Taken Certain Things on a Different Path' (Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

James Wan at San Diego Comic-Con on July 25, 2024; Donnie Wahlberg inSaw II(2005).Photo:Michael Kovac/Getty; Lionsgate /courtesy Everett Collection

Michael Kovac/Getty; Lionsgate /courtesy Everett Collection

SawdirectorJames Wan"would’ve taken certain things on a different path" had he continued to lead the gory franchise.

“But that’s why I’ve never necessarily been critical about where the franchise has gone,” Wan, 47, tells PEOPLE as his horror classic turns 20.

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

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human-interest stories.

Tobin Bell as John Kramer/Jigsaw inSaw V(2008).Twisted Pictures/Kobal/Shutterstock

Twisted Pictures/Kobal/Shutterstock

Reflecting on his time making the first movie, Wan tells PEOPLE “there’s nothing perfect about that film” for him and “that the making ofSawwas literally me spending every day fighting for the things that I cannot get.”

“So even though the movieand the franchise itselfit’s a comfort to others, as a filmmaker, as a director, you cannot help but see all the things that you did not get,” he explains. “And I guess that’s how we are as artists, is we don’t really see the cup is half full — we see the cup is half empty.”

Wan admits that he still has “a little bit of that sort of mentality” aboutSawtwo decades later, during which time he has gone on to create other wildly successful horror franchises likeThe ConjuringandInsidious,the latter also alongside fellow Aussie Whannell, 47.

“But obviously people have loved it,” Wan says of the originalSaw. “And definitely, I can now, I guess, look back through a more rose-tinted glass as opposed to how I felt back then.”

The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!

James Wan and Cary Elwes on the set ofSaw(2004).Evolution/Saw Prods Inc/Kobal/Shutterstock

Evolution/Saw Prods Inc/Kobal/Shutterstock

According toBox Office Mojo,Sawwas made on a budget of $1.2 million. It went on to rake in more than $109 million in theaters worldwide, while the franchise as a whole has earned over $1 billion at the box office since its genesis.

“I’m grateful for, I guess, the length of the budget, because then it forced me to be as creative as I possibly could,” Wan tells PEOPLE of the originalSaw.

Asked if he’d ever direct aSawmovie again, Wan — who is currently on several projects, including a producing credit onThe Monkeyand gearing up to direct his first-ever horror remake,The Creature from the Black Lagoon— tells PEOPLE, “I would never say never, but it would have to be something extremely special for me to want to step back in.”

“And right now, I have so many other projects that I’m cooking in the pipeline that mean a lot to me,” he explains. “So I would rather work on those and see those get off the ground before something else that I’ve already done.”

Sawis streaming on Max and Peacock.

source: people.com