Saw X Will Finally Bring Back Tobin Bell As The Long-Dead Jigsaw
The 1980s saw a big slasher movie boom throughout the decade that gave us memorable villains like Jason Voorhees and Freddy Krueger in the "Friday the 13th" and "A Nightmare on Elm Street" franchises, respectively, and the like. The 90s followed suit with Ghostface in the "Scream" films and the Fisherman in the "I Know What You Did Last Summer" films. When thinking about slasher icons of the 2000s, one name stands above the rest: Jigsaw from the "Saw" films. The actor who made the character a legend, Tobin Bell will be returning to the franchise for the latest installment.
"Saw X," as it is tentatively being referred to as, is on its way for a Halloween 2023 release. In a tweet from "Spiral: From the Book of Saw" writer Josh Stolberg, he teased that he was working on finishing the screenplay for the next film in the successful franchise. He also said, "What I can promise you is that this is gonna make John Kramer fans very happy!!!" Tobin Bell plays John Kramer in the series. This tweet suggests his return had been planned as early as 2021.
According to Bloody Disgusting, who exclusively covered the official the announcement of the tenth film in the franchise, producers Mark Burg and Oren Koules said in a statement, "We have been listening to what the fans have been asking for and are hard at work planning a movie that Saw aficionados and horror fans alike will love."
Tobin Bell returns to the Saw franchise after five years
Per One Take News, "Saw X" will officially bring back Tobin Bell to star as John Kramer, the man also known as Jigsaw. While the terminally ill Kramer technically didn't survive past "Saw III," that didn't stop Bell from appearing as the character in "Saw IV" through "Jigsaw" aka "Saw 8." Tobin Bell, however, did not appear in 2021's Chris Rock-starring "Spiral: From the Book of Saw." Just a photo of him can be seen in that film.
This will be the first time Bell will play the character again since 2017. The fractured storytelling of the "Saw" series has allowed for Bell to continue to return as the beloved character. Even though he has died in the series, flashbacks and past character connections propel the timeline of the later sequels.
The press release coming from "Saw" film series producers Mark Burg and Oren Koules said, "What a thrill to be reuniting with Tobin. 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." The new film is slated for release on October 27, 2023, and filming is expected to begin in October of 2022. To quote one of the trailers for the past sequels, "If it's Halloween, it must be Saw." Kevin Greutert will also be returning to the franchise to direct the latest installment after a five-year hiatus.
The Spiral director has teased that the Saw franchise might follow different paths like the Marvel Cinematic Universe
The tentatively titled "Saw X" was announced right before "Spiral: From the Book of Saw" was released in theaters in May of 2021. "Spiral" director Darren Lynn Bousman said the producers were all surprised to hear that the next sequel had been announced. He told The AU Review in an interview, "Just because 'Spiral' is here that doesn't mean there won't be a 'Saw IX.' This is not the ninth film in the 'Saw' franchise. There easily could be a 'Saw IX' that follows Jigsaw."
Bousman continued to tease the different paths of the franchise in an interview with Bloody Disgusting's The Boo Crew podcast around the time of "Spiral's" release. He said, "You're not done seeing Tobin Bell at all. What I think will happen, if ['Spiral'] is successful, is you'll see 'Spiral 2', and then you'll see 'Saw 9.' And then you'll see 'Spiral 3,' you'll see 'Saw 10.' You might see a TV series. So I think you'll be seeing the MarvelVerse of the 'Saw' franchise, where there are different storylines taking place."
While he does seem to be correct about the return of Tobin Bell as Jigsaw, it is unknown if the plan he has laid out for "Spiral" movies and "Saw" movies will come to be after "Spiral's" tepid pandemic-era box office results and since the new film is widely being referred to as "Saw X." The new "Saw" film will be in theaters October 27, 2023.