Jigsaw Is Returning For Saw 10
Jigsaw is back! Actor Tobin Bell is returning as the iconic horror villain in Saw 10, due in theaters next year.
You can’t keep a good horror franchise down, even if your villain has been dead for years. Such is the case with Lionsgate’s Saw, which is returning for a tenth film and bringing back Jigsaw, the murderous genius at the center of a twisted series of deadly games, who will be played once again by actor Tobin Bell. Saw 10 will hit theaters on October 27, 2023, although plot details and a cast for the latest entry in the billion dollar film series has not yet been announced.
Twisted Pictures, the production company behind the film series, announced the return of the franchise earlier this year, much to the delight of hard-core horror fans, following speculation that another film was indeed coming. Those same fans will be happy to know that Twisted has now confirmed that Tobin Bell will indeed return to the franchise, even though (spoiler alert!) he died at the end of Saw 3. His appearance in the other films of the franchise have been through flashbacks, “archived” footage, and other inventive ways.
Earlier this summer, it was announced that Kevin Greutert, the director of Saw VI and Saw: The Final Chapter, was returning to the franchise as well to direct.
The first Saw was released in 2004. shocking audiences with its gritty brutality and “twist” ending. It spawned an unlikely horror franchise, making Tobin Bell’s Jigsaw a horror icon in the process. Bell played John Kramer, a terminal cancer patient who devised a series of “traps” that would kill its victims in grisly ways if they did not play a game by his rules, which often involved impossible choices.
Tobin Bell has actually played Jigsaw in eight previous films, with his only non-appearance in 2021’s Spiral: From The Book of Saw, a failed attempt to reboot the franchise with Chris Rock in the lead as a detective trying to catch a Jigsaw copycat. It seems with Saw 10, producers realize they need to stick with the original formula that still works.
There was a previous attempt to end the Jigsaw saga in 2010 with the release of Saw: The Final Chapter, but the series’ popularity has kept it going, and the film has now been retitled Saw 3D.
About a year ago, Cary Elwes (The Princess Bride), who appeared in the first film and was among the inaugural victims of Jigasaw’s “traps,” indicated that he was open to the idea of returning to the franchise, having last appeared in Saw 3D. However, he questioned whether there was any new direction the character could take.
About Bell’s return, franchise producers Mark Burg and Oren Koules, the producers of the Saw franchise, voiced their excitement for the return of Tobin Bell and Jigsaw for Saw 10, saying “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 80-year-old Bell has embraced the Jigsaw character, and has said how much he enjoys the role. He and his distinctive voice have appeared in Mississippi Burning, Alias, The Firm, and the WB DC series The Flash.
If you need to catch up on the Saw films and the exploits of Jigsaw before the release of Saw 10, the entire franchise – except for Spiral – is available to watch on the Peacock streaming service.
