Chris Rock says Saw reboot will be “bloody and gory” but with some humor

Are you ready to go back to a rundown empty warehouse and watch people get tortured by all manner of ungodly contraptions? Well, the reboot of SAW has you covered then! James Wan and Leigh Whannell's original brainchild is being unearthed after a long string of sequels, this time spearheaded by an unlikely source; comedian and actor Chris Rock. A huge fan of the series, Rock set out to bring the SAW franchise back to life, helping to write the script and even taking on a role in the film as a police detective (his father being played by Samuel L. Jackson to boot). Some may fear that this means SAW will become a more comedic effort in the mostly grim and violent series that precedes the reboot, but Rock, speaking to IGN, offers his assurances it's not exactly SCARY MOVIE.

"A lot of times I go to a movie or I watch a TV show and I go, ‘Wow, you know, two jokes would have made a big difference in that. I love Saw, but I was like ‘Wow, it has almost no humor at all.’ So, it seemed like a good place…good fertile ground…by the way, the new Saw, I’ve seen like a rough cut. It’s still Saw…it’s bloody, it’s gory, but there’s like a sprinkling of humor here and there. We’re not revamping it, it’s not Scary Movie, it’s Saw."

I guess having a little humor in your horror works fine, but it all depends on what kind of horror film you make and whether you want to give the audience a breather or not. Sometimes it could potentially work against the vibe, while other times it could be sorely needed. We'll see where this reboot falls. The new installment of the series is directed by Darren Lynn Bousman, who also helmed the original sequels to SAW II, III, and IV, which you could view as great for the aesthetic or as a return to exactly what came before. Either way, Saw is cutting back into theaters and this time you get a few extra jokes.

The Untitled SAW reboot hits theaters on May 15, 2020. Meanwhile, you can catch Chris Rock in the 4th season of Fargo, which kicks off April 19th, 2020 on FX.