When James Wan directed his short film “Saw” in 2003, the director probably never imagined that it would become a mega hit in theaters a year later. But that wasn’t all: with the feature film version of his gruesome horror thriller, he also laid the foundations for one of the highest-grossing film series ever, which has not come to an end even 20 years later: with “Saw X” we will soon be able to achieve that tenth expect chapter of the torture porn saga about cult killer Jigsaw (Tobin Bell): Hit 10 hits in U.S. theaters on October 27, 2023 – and while there’s no official German launch date so far, it’s at least confirmed: Filming is on the bus!
Wan is now more likely to take his place in the director’s chair for mega productions such as the current “Aquaman 2: Lost Kingdom”, overseeing the “Saw” franchise, with which he once celebrated his breakthrough, but of course still as a producer . And as such, he now put the series in the hands of a “Saw” veteran director from the very beginning, who is now through confirmed that the film’s rather demanding shooting is finally over – Kevin Greutert:
Greutert thanks everyone involved for “one of the most epic experiences” of his life – even though completing the shoot was a challenge as the director fell ill with COVID.
After original star Tobin Bell was already known to return as John Kramer aka Jigsaw, Greutert now also confirmed the rumors that had arisen at the end of 2022: Also Shawnee Smith will be back again! She was one of Jigsaw’s victims in part 1, but managed to free herself from her diabolical trap, eventually becoming an apprentice to the killer and over time becoming one of the most important characters in the series.
The international cast also includes Scots Steven Brand, known for “Vikings: Valhalla”, Mexican Paulette Hernandez (“Fivefold Revenge”), American Michael Beach (“Aquaman”, “Tulsa King”), Octavio Hinojosa and Joshua Okamoto (both known from “Narcos: Mexico”) and Norwegian Synnøve Lund (“Headhunters”).
Back to the roots
Greutert revealed in the same breath that his movie will “go back to the roots” of what makes “Saw” so special to him and all fans of the Kramer saga. The fact is that hardly anyone knows the series as well as he does: Greutert has “Saw IV” and “VIII seen“responsible. He also directed”Saw VI” And “saw VII“.
What “back to the roots” means in plain language remains to be seen – at least until the first trailer. While the last part of the saga, “Saw: Spiral”, as a reboot of sorts, fell short of its potential at the box office and was only partially well-received by fans, we conclude that Greutert’s film will not attempt such a thing. – and instead builds on the well-known recipe with his Film. On the other hand, it will be exciting what role the ‘edgy locations’ will play. The film was shot in Mexico City.
We’ll see how well that works in just under eight months. We currently assume that the film will be released in German cinemas on October 26, 2023.