We really thought the Saw franchise had ended. After 8 movies in 13 years and the death of the series’ main antagonist, Jigsaw, it seemed like the series had run out of things to say. But that was before Chris Rock got involved.
The comedian is apparently a huge fan of the series, and he came up with the story for the ninth Saw film. He’s also producing the movie and has officially signed on to star. And while that may seem strange, remember that as of three years ago Jordan Peele was only thought of a comedian and now he’s considered the new master of horror, so anything’s possible. Rock will be bringing along another unexpected face with him as well, as Samuel L. Jackson is set to portray the father of Rock’s character in the film — doubly ensuring that this will be a Saw movie like no other.
According to Deadline, Rock will play “a police detective investigating a series of grizzly crimes” in the new film, with Max Minghella as Rock’s partner and Marisol Nichols as his boss. Darren Lynn Bousman, who directed the second, third, and fourth Saw movies, is on board to direct off a script by Josh Stolberg and Pete Goldfinger, who wrote the franchise’s most recent installment, Jigsaw. Saw creators James Wan and Leigh Whannell are also involved as executive producers, giving this seemingly new direction a lot of connections to the franchise’s past.
The addition of Rock and Jackson to the Saw franchise is certainly unexpected, but it could be just what this franchise needs to make it relevant and interesting again. We’ll see how this experiment pans out when the new Saw movie debuts in theaters on Oct. 23, 2020.
