The chances of seeing another Saw movie hitting theaters has taken another small step forward, as the writers of Jigsaw are reportedly hard at work penning Saw 9. As ever, the critical reception for the eighth film in the enduring horror franchise was lukewarm to say the least, but it was a solid box-office hit and laid the groundworks for future sequels, and this certainly appears to be happening.

Seven years after Saw 3D, Jigsaw was released in October of last year. Despite moralistic serial-killer John Kramer actually dying in Saw 3, the subsequent sequels have always found ways to continue his legacy and explore his character in flashbacks. This was also the case with Jigsaw, which was intended to revive the franchise and provide further thrills and twists for horror fans. The co-directors, brothers Michael Spierig and Peter Spierig, sought to ‘honor‘ the original movie and also make it accessible to new audiences. During the opening weekend, the box-office takings in the US did seem disappointing, and the second-lowest for the franchise. However the film went on to gross over $102m worldwide, from a modest budget of only $10m, which made plans for further films much more possible.

Unsurprisingly there were rumors that Twisted Pictures were having ‘conversations‘ about the production of Saw 9 in January. Things have now apparently progressed beyond that point though, as Bloody Disgusting reports that the Jigsaw writers – Pete Goldfinger and Josh Stolberg – are currently in the process of developing it for the production company. It is understood that the Spierig Brothers will not be returning to helm the follow-up, and that the directors seat will remain vacant for the moment. That isn’t entirely unexpected, as they revealed in an interview with Screen Rant previously that they were almost ‘directors for hire’ on the project, and that they knew they wouldn’t be involved in future Saw movies. Nonetheless, they were happy that they laid the right foundations for the franchise to continue.

If the report is accurate, Goldfinger and Stolberg (who also previously worked on Piranha 3D and the remake of the slasher Sorority Row), will now have to decide how to take the story forward. There’s plenty of potential for a straightforward continuation of the plot-strands left hanging at the climax of Jigsaw. There’s also scope for re-winding slightly and maybe include some of the surviving characters from Saw 3D. The continued presence of actor Tobin Bell as Kramer is an absolute must – albeit in flashback mode – as he has been for every single Saw movie. Bell himself actually suggested an idea for a future film, where the origin of Billy the Puppet and his significance to Kramer could be explored.

Assuming development on the project continues, we can expect to hear more news about the production shortly. It wouldn’t be far-fetched to expect a planned release date for Halloween, although 2019 would be far more likely than this year, even with a quick turnaround. Hopefully the writers will take onboard some of the feedback from Jigsaw and give horror fans something to get excited about again.