The new film in the Saw franchise – which is going by the title Saw X since it’s the tenth installment – is set to reach theatres on September 29th, and it’s said to be the longest Saw movie yet. Judging by the rating it has just received from the Motion Picture Association, it sounds like it’s going to be delivering plenty of the stuff Saw fans want to see over the course of that extended running time, as it has earned an R rating for sequences of grisly bloody violence and torture, language and some drug use. The frequently used tagline has been “If it’s Halloween, it must be Saw“, but it could just as easily be “If it’s grisly bloody violence and torture, it must be Saw“.
Saw VI and Saw: The Final Chapter director Kevin Greutert (who also edited the first five films, plus Jigsaw) is back at the helm for Saw X. Jigsaw and Spiral: From the Book of Saw screenwriters Pete Goldfinger and Josh Stolberg have written the script. Stolberg has promised that this movie “is gonna make John Kramer fans very happy!” It has been said that “The upcoming Saw movie is planned to be very much a John Kramer story … The idea is that the story is being told from Kramer’s point of view as opposed to following the trap victims.”
Here’s the synopsis: In the Twisted Pictures next installment John Kramer (Tobin Bell) is back, and it’s the untold chapter of Jigsaw’s final games. Set between the events of Saw I and II, a sick and desperate John travels to Mexico for a risky and experimental medical procedure in hopes of a miracle cure for his cancer – only to discover the entire operation is a scam to defraud the most vulnerable. The infamous serial killer returns to his work, turning the tables on the con artists in his signature visceral way through devious, deranged, and ingenious traps.
Tobin Bell reprises the role of John Kramer / Jigsaw and is joined in the cast by Synnøve Macody Lund (Ragnarok), Steven Brand (The Sandman), Michael Beach (Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story), Renata Vaca (Pedal to Medal), Paulette Hernandez (Crown of Tears), Joshua Okamoto (Control-Z), Octavio Hinojosa (How to Survive Being Single), and Shawnee Smith as Amanda Young.
Franchise producers Mark Burg and Oren Koules of Twisted Pictures provided the following statement: “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.” They have previously said, “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.”
A press release from Lionsgate says “the return of Bell to the franchise furthers Lionsgate and Twisted Pictures’ goal of a film that captures everything Saw fans love about the franchise, while also keeping them guessing with all-new traps and a new mystery to solve.”
Deadline reminds us that Bell’s Kramer (otherwise known as Jigsaw) is “the antagonist at the heart of the Saw franchise – a former civil engineer who was diagnosed with colon cancer and subsequently elected to test others’ will to live via a series of deadly games. The character appeared in the first three Saw films before being killed off, then going on to appear via flashbacks in most of the films that followed.”
Are you looking forward to Saw X? What do you think of the reasons given for its R rating? Let us know by leaving a comment below.