Fans of the ultraviolent horror franchise Saw are about to get a gruesome blast from the past as the original actor behind the iconic Jigsaw killer is set to return for the next film. Tobin Bell, who famously played the role from the beginning, was last seen in 2017's Jigsaw. But it looks as though something may be different this time around.
The upcoming Saw film, set to release in 2023, will be the 10th in the series. Fans will already be familiar with Bell, as his twisted portrayal of John Kramer/Jigsaw is one of the main reasons the horror franchise has remained such a presence in the public eye. Utterances of "I want to play a game" still occasionally creep into conversations even 2 decades later, and that's all thanks to the inimitable performance from Bell himself.
As reported by The Hollywood Reporter, this news clearly isn't just exciting for the fans, but for producers Mark Burg and Oren Koules as well. "What a thrill to be reuniting with Tobin," they said in a statement. "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." So what does that mean for the character? The Saw films made a pretty big deal about his death in Saw III. But as fans of any long-running franchise can attest, death is merely a temporary inconvenience.
Even those who haven't seen the Saw movies are likely familiar with the cultural phenomenon they quickly became. They were even spoofed in the Scary Movie franchise, and if that series parodies something, it's clear that it's an easy target. The original idea stemmed from a mysterious killer kidnapping people who he thought didn't appreciate life and forcing them to inflict pain (and worse) on themselves and others in order to survive. As revealed throughout the series, these "games" have been going on for a surprisingly long time, with many of them often resulting in the sole survivor joining Jigsaw as his new apprentice. This resulted in others taking on the Jigsaw mantle, further adding to the confusion.
But given the character's rather unambiguous death in Saw III, many fans are sure to be understandably confused about how his next appearance will be handled. Sure, a good chunk of the movies since Saw III have dealt in flashbacks of Jigsaw's past games, but will the upcoming 10th film follow the same trend? Or will audiences be treated to a death-defying twist?
It's hard to say for now what audiences can expect from this next entry in the beloved horror franchise. But with Bell returning as Jigsaw along with Kevin Greutert coming back to the director's chair for the first time since 2010's Saw 3D, perhaps the name of the game here will be dredging up the past. It certainly seems to be what the Saw series does best.
The next Saw film is set to release on October 27th, 2023.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter