Chris Rock Rebooting ‘SAW’: What Do You Think?
It didn’t take long for news to spread that Chris Rock has penned his idea to re-ignite the Saw franchise. While some fans may have apprehensions about a comedian venturing into the world of horror, let’s not forget that Jordan Peele has recently done just that, and quite successfully. Here we will discuss what we know so far and how this new film could be a solid entry in the long-running horror franchise.
This is what we know so far:
Chris Rock has presented a story to Lionsgate, and will co-executive produce the new film along with veteran Saw producer/executive producer Daniel Heffner and series creators James Wan and Leigh Whannell.
The screenwriters for the new Saw film are Josh Stolberg and Pete Goldfinger, who also wrote the 2017 sequel Jigsaw. The screenplay will be an adaptation of Chris Rock’s story.
The producers of the upcoming Saw reboot are Mark Burg and Oren Koules. Burg and Koules have produced every film in the series.
Darren Lynn Bousman will be returning to the director’s chair. Bousman also directed Saw II, Saw III, and Saw IV, which are among the most successful entries in the franchise.
It’s certainly a huge positive that many of the people involved in the new project have been a part of the series since the beginning. What we don’t yet know, however, is a big piece of the puzzle (pun intended). That missing piece is whether Tobin Bell will return as “John Kramer” aka “Jigsaw”. How will the new film, which is being described as a “re-imagining”, fit into the Saw universe? Will this reboot take into account all of the installments that came before? Compared to last year’s Halloween reboot, the new Saw could, and probably should, incorporate its predecessors into the mix. The advantage that Saw has over many other horror franchises is that the creative team has remained pretty consistent since its inception. By contrast, 2018’s Halloween almost had to ignore most of the previous entries because through the years so many creative forces have taken the series in different directions. One of the cool aspects of Saw is that there is a continuity throughout the first seven movies which is even tied loosely to the eighth film, Jigsaw.
As has been customary with the previous Saw sequels, it’s a safe bet that key plot details will be kept under wraps until the release date approaches. However, we should expect to hear some rumblings about casting and maybe some of the movie’s cool and inventive new traps in the coming months.
Chris Rock on his involvement in the forthcoming Saw movie: “I’ve been a fan of Saw since the first film in 2004…I am excited by the opportunity to take this to a really intense and twisted new place.”
The new installment is scheduled for release on October 23, 2020.
What is your take on this development…Let the Game Begin, or Game Over?
