UPDATE, 7/8/19 – Lionsgate has announced that Samuel L. Jackson will co-star with Chris Rock in the Saw reboot, which recently began production. Rock “will play a police detective investigating a series of grizzly crimes,” with Jackson playing his father.
Produced by Saw filmmakers Mark Burg and Oren Koules, and directed by three-time Saw alum Darren Lynn Bousman, the film was written by Pete Goldfinger and Josh Stolberg based on Rock’s idea. Lionsgate also announced Max Minghella will play William Schenk, Rock’s partner, and Marisol Nichols will play Capt. Angie Garza, Rock’s boss.
“We think Samuel L. Jackson and Chris Rock along with Max Minghella and Marisol Nichols make this film completely special in the Saw canon and we can’t wait to unleash this unexpected and sinister new story on fans of this franchise. said Joe Drake, Chairman of the Lionsgate Motion Picture Group, in an announcement, “This is next level of Saw on full tilt.”
There’s still no word if Tobin Bell’s Jigsaw will be involved, so we still have some work to do putting this puzzle together.
5/16/19 – I want to play a game. You love Chris Rock and swear you’ll watch anything he’s created, but are you willing to keep that promise if it means starting over entirely with the Saw franchise? Okay, that might not be as gruesome as a typical Jigsaw puzzle, but it’s a hell of a lot stranger, and it’s really going to happen. Yes, Chris Rock, one of the greatest standup comedians of al time, is rebooting the famed horror franchise.
Deadline reports that Lionsgate, Twisted Pictures, and Rock are working together to breathe new life into the popular franchise, after Rock went to the studio with his idea on how to bring it back. Lionsgate’s Motion Picture Group chairman Joe Drake said that when Rock “described in chilling detail his fantastic vision that re-imagines and spins-off the world of the notorious Jigsaw Killer” they were “all-in” on it. It probably also helped Lionsgate would love a way to bring back such a successful money maker, since the eight (YES, EIGHT) Saw movies have made $1.2 billion in worldwide tickets sales.
Rock wrote the story, which will be adapted into the screenplay by Jigsaw writers Pete Goldfinger and Josh Stolberg, with Rock serving as an executive producer and Darren Lynn Bousman, who was behind the camera for three Saw films, directing. Lionsgate has set an October 23, 2020 release date for the untitled movie.
What will the movie look and feel like? The studio promises it “will still be as mind-bending and intense as all the previous Saw films,” and “will be completely reverential to the legacy of the material while reinvigorating the brand” with Rock’s “wit, creative vision, and passion for this classic horror franchise.” Okay, that isn’t very helpful, but we’re still excited to see Chris Rock’s take on Saw.
Featured Image: Lionsgate
