'Saw' Actor Officially Reprising Iconic Role in New Movie
Tobin Bell became a modern horror franchise icon through his role as John "Jigsaw" Kramer in each entry of the franchise to date. Now, Bell will officially reprise the role in a new film, tentatively titled Saw X, according to Deadline. Notably, Kramer was killed off early in the series but appeared in flashback sequences in the subsequent films.
"What a thrill to be reuniting with Tobin," franchise producers Mark Burg and Oren Koules said in a joint statement on Bell's reprisal casting. "His performance as John Kramer is part of the magic that made this franchise a phenomenon and his character is an active part of this film." Saw X is being directed by Kevin Greuter, who also directed Saw VI and Saw: The Final Chapter. Greuter also served as editor on th first five Saw movies, as well as Jigsaw. The new film was written by Josh Stolberg and Patrick Goldfinger. The pair also wrote Jigsaw and the franchise's 2021 spinoff, Spiral.
Created by James Wan and Leigh Whannell, the horror franchise debuted in 2004 with Saw. It followed two men who find themselves impending victims of the Jigsaw serial killer, who doesn't murder his victims in traditional ways, but rather crafts devices that cause the victim to be in control of whether or not they die. Both men wrote the story while Whannell wrote the screenplay and Wan directed the film. Whannell starred in the film as well, appearing opposite Cary Elwes, Danny Glover, Monica Potter, Michael Emerson, Ken Leung, and Tobin Bell.
Saw was a hit with horror fans, making it very successful. The film earned more than $100 million at the global box office on a budget of just over $1 million. For the next six years, a new Saw film was released in theaters every October, with Saw 7: The Final Chapter debuting in 2010. Years later, Twisted Pictures and Lionsgate brought the franchise back with Jigsaw, the eighth film in the series. It starred Matt Passmore, Callum Keith Rennie, Clé Bennett, and Hannah Emily Anderson.
In May 2021, Spiral: From the Book of Saw was released, carrying the franchise past the $1 billion mark in worldwide box office revenue. Speaking about the film to Collider, Rock previously shared that it would be just as intense as the past Saw films, but that it will also use some infrequent humor to cut the tension at times. "So, [Spiral] is really scary and really bloody. It's a Saw movie. But every now and then, you take a little air out. It's gonna be good." Saw X is slated for release on October 27, 2023.