Saw director James Wan “would have taken certain things differently” if he had continued to helm the gory franchise.
“But that’s why I’ve never been critical of where the franchise has gone,” Wan, 47, tells PEOPLE as his horror classic turns 20.
He made sure to give props to Lionsgate and “all the subsequent directors” who came after he directed the 2004 original, which was written by his Saw co-creator (and star of the first film) Leigh Whannell.
“They’ve all done a great job keeping this franchise going and [continuing] to make as much as they have,” Wan tells PEOPLE. “Kudos to them for knowing what to do and what direction they felt they needed to go in.”
Wan stayed on Saw team in some capacity, from executive production to story writing, starting with Pila II (2005) up to the latest ones Saw X (2023), which explores more of the backstory of the character John Kramer/Jigsaw, played by Tobin Bell.
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Tobin Bell as John Kramer/Jigsaw in Saw V (2008).
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Reflecting on his time shooting the first film, Wan tells PEOPLE that “there’s nothing perfect about that movie” for him and “that shooting Saw I literally spent every day fighting for things I can’t get.”
“So even though the film and the franchise itself is a comfort to others, as a filmmaker, as a director, you can’t help but see all the things you didn’t get,” he explains. “And I guess that’s how we are as artists, because we don’t really see the cup as half full – we see the cup as half empty.”
Wan admits he still has “a bit of that mentality”. Saw two decades later, during which time he created other hugely successful horror franchises such as Swearing and Treacherous, the latter also alongside fellow Aussie Whannell, 47.
“But obviously people liked it,” Wan says of the original Saw. “And definitely, now, I guess, I can look back through a rose-colored glass as opposed to how I felt then.”
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James Wan and Cary Elwes on set Saw (2004).
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According to Box Office Mojo, Saw it was made on a budget of $1.2 million. It has grossed over $109 million in theaters worldwide, while the franchise as a whole has grossed over $1 billion at the box office since its inception.
“I’m thankful for, I guess, the length of the budget, because then it forced me to be as creative as I could,” Wan tells PEOPLE of the original Saw.
When asked if he will ever direct a Saw film again, Wan — who is currently working on several projects, including producer Monkey and is about to direct his first horror remake, 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 come back.”
“Right now I have so many other projects that I’m planning, which mean a lot to me,” he explains. “So I’d rather work on them and see how they go than something else I’ve already done.”
Saw streams on Max and Peacock.
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