Yesterday we reported that Lionsgate, not best pleased that Paramount had poached their Saw VI director to helm rival October timeframe horror flick Paranormal Activity 2, had exercised an option on Kevin Greutert.

Greutert, who had directed Saw VI and has a long history with the Saw franchise (having also edited the first five films), had been picked by Paramount to make Paranormal Activity 2, until Lionsgate exercise an option on him to basically force him to make Saw VII instead. That’s left Paramount desperately hunting for a new director for its project, and Greutert basically being forced to helm a film he presumably doesn’t want to make.

Caught in the middle of a studio tug of war, Greutert posted a statement on the matter on his website, that pretty much sums up his current position. He writes:

I'm in the middle of something really terrible right now, as anyone who has come to this site probably knows. While I fight for justice in this, the important thing is to avoid giving in to hatred and anger, because these emotions are life killers.

Hopefully we will all arrive at an amicable solution. Thank you to everyone who is working with me on this.

Kevin

That post has since been removed. But he’s since posted again:

I just had the task of telling my 83 year old mother that no, I’m not going to be allowed to direct the movie we were all so excited about when my family last got together, and that I’m being forced to leave town before getting a chance to see her again. Yes, I’ll be filming people getting tortured YET AGAIN. So we’ll have to put off me making a film she can actually watch for another year.

I’m not making this **** up.

That sounds to us like he’s still, as you might expect, keen to do Paranormal 2 rather than return to Saw, and it remains to be seen whether Lionsgate is playing hardball, or whether it really will force him to make a new Saw movie.

Our sympathy does wane quite a lot with his comment about "I'll be filming people getting tortured YET AGAIN". Er, nobody forced you to work on the six Saw films that you did, surely, and it's a little late in the day to start complaining about filming torture, surely? Or is that just us? Surely the point to make a stand against that of any form was when he got the script for Saw III?

But back to the matter in hand. Generally these things tend to boil down to cash one way or another, and we wonder if Paramount needs to make an offer to get its man, or whether both studios will simply go with someone else instead. We have to be honest - our hopes for both films are remarkably low...


http://denofgeek.com/movies/405392/kevin_greutert_posts_statement_on_saw_7_paranormal_activity_2_situation.html

so how are they forcing him to do this - are they holding his family hostage, or are they making him decide between that and cutting off his own leg or something?

I don't blame him for being upset though, that Saw franchise has run its course about 5 movies ago.

so how are they forcing him to do this - are they holding his family hostage, or are they making him decide between that and cutting off his own leg or something?

Basically what happened was is that Kevin Greutert (director of SAW VI) was going to direct Paranormal Activity 2 (a rival franchise).

So, Lionsgate/Twisted Pictures worked on some legal move to have Kevin be obligated under contract to make SAW VII instead.

The Saw Franchise seems will NEVER die!

The thing with the Saw franchise is that the movies never have huge budgets and even when the movies make under 50 mil the budget gets easily recouped. That's why the franchise keeps going.

So in other words, Lionsgate is pulling an NBC so to speak.

Official statement from SAW VII director Kevin Greutert on the House of Jigsaw forum:


"Well, team, it's hard to believe, but I start rolling high res 3D video on this movie tomorrow morning.

It's still an unreal fog to me, having one week to prep the most expensive "SAW" film of all. We've attempted a comprehensive rewrite on the script since I got here, but it's tough: the sets are built, the traps are built, the storyline is set, and any major changes mean throwing out existing stuff, and it's hard to find the time, money and will to do things a different way.


It has not been a picnic, but the crew is working hard, and I am as well. On those rare occasions when I can actually go to sleep, I see images like the World Trade Center collapsing in slow motion, plane crashes, drownings, other bad sh*t.

It's unhealthy for me, but hopefully the creepy scariness of my life right now is somehow translating into a vibe that will be good for the movie, if they'll just give me a chance to put my stamp on it here and there. Very difficult indeed...


Thanks for hanging with me, everyone. And send some love to David Hackl, he could use it as much as me, if not more."


(David Hackl was originally set to direct until Lionsgate forced Greutert to do it.)

http://www.bloody-disgusting.com/news/19002

so how are they forcing him to do this - are they holding his family hostage, or are they making him decide between that and cutting off his own leg or something?

You beat me to it! :lol: