According to Stolberg, the script for “Saw IX: John Kramer” was then repurposed into “Saw X,” which, given the prequel nature of the project, was likely a pretty seamless switch. The writer (who co-wrote “Saw X” with Peter Goldfinger) discussed all of this in the “Saw X” Blu-Ray, but it’s not the first time he’s mentioned it. He hinted via Twitter back in 2021 that the script “is gonna make John Kramer fans very happy!!!” but at that point, it was unclear whether “Saw X” was ever going to actually happen. Lucky for fans of Bell’s torture-lesson-obsessed killer, the movie did come to be, albeit with a name change. In July, Stolberg revealed via Twitter that the earliest notes he had on his computer from “Saw X” dated back to January 2018, and the project was then titled “Saw: John Kramer.” While one of the pitch documents includes the “9” differentiation, the rest don’t, so the numbering system may have been left behind entirely at one point.
In the same conversation, Stolberg replied to a Twitter user explaining that at one point, the team “all thought that this film was going to be Saw 9.” Of course, “Spiral” changed everything, but Stolberg noted that he “LOVED making that film … and it gave this film a chance to find itself.” The “Saw” franchise seems like it could keep going on forever, so given the recent installments’ unique and pattern-defying titles, it’s possible that “Saw XI” (if it happens) will have a completely different name. Personally, my vote is for “2 Jigsaw 2 Furious.”
“Saw X” is now on DVD and Blu-Ray.