Original Jigsaw killer Tobin Bell will be back in the next Saw movie.
That’s right – Jigsaw is back, for real this time, as Tobin Bell reprises the role of John Kramer in the next Saw movie.
The upcoming Saw film is heading into production later this month and will eventually head to theaters on October 27, 2023.
The upcoming Saw movie was originally thought to be a sequel and was announced earlier this year with Saw 6 and Saw: The Final Chapter director Kevin Greutert at the helm. But Bell’s return poses more questions – namely, will this be a prequel?
Jigsaw was first introduced in the original Saw back in 2004 as the Jigsaw Killer – a serial killer who captures his victims and tests their will to survive by placing them in life-threatening “games”. The film was a huge hit and spawned a number of sequels and a recent spin-off.
Unfortunately, little is known about the upcoming project, so it’s also unclear whether or not this will be a prequel or a spin-off itself. Although a sequel is unlikely given Bell’s appearance (Kramer was effectively killed off at the end of Saw 3) it could still e possible, especially if he appears in a flashback.
Whether or not that’s the case, remains to be seen.
“What a thrill to be reuniting with Tobin,” said Saw producers, Mark Burg and Oren Koules. “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.”
It’s unclear whether or not the upcoming film will tie into Spiral.
IGN’s Spiral review gave it just 3/10 and called it “a sequel that hopes to court Saw fans and mainstream audiences alike, Spiral: From the Book of Saw is likely to alienate them both. It’s a hollow imitation of the series, unable to meet its most basic visual and narrative expectations. It’s also a bad film in general, which tries to tell a socially relevant story that it can’t seem to handle.”
Given that Saw is now a billion-dollar franchise, they might want to skip any ties to Spiral.
Want to read more about Saw? Check out how Spiral fits into the Saw timeline, as well as our rundown of the Saw saga’s complicated backstory.
Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.
