Back in May, horror fans woke up to the surprising news that Chris Rock was executive producing a new Saw movie, and with filming now underway on the movie with a cast that includes Rock and Samuel L. Jackson, Lionsgate has bumped up the release of the film by a little more than five months.
Multiple outlets, including The Hollywood Reporter, reveal that the new Saw film (considered a "reimagining of the series") is now slated to come out on May 15th, 2020, moving it up a little over five months from its initially planned October 23rd release.
As previously reported, Rock and Jackson will star in the new Saw film, which is being directed by Darren Lynn Bousman (Saw II, Saw III, Saw IV) from a screenplay by Pete Goldfinger and Josh Stolberg (the writers of 2017's Jigsaw, the most recent entry in the eight-film franchise of deadly traps).
According to THR, Rock is playing a "police detective investigating a series of grisly crimes," while Jackson portrays the father of Rock's character.
Also joining the cast is Max Minghella as William Schenk, the partner of Rock's character, and Marisol Nichols as Capt. Angie Garza, the boss of Rock's character.
Here's what Joe Drake, chairman of the Lionsgate Motion Picture Group, had to say about the film's core cast (via THR):
"We think Samuel L. Jackson and Chris Rock along with Max Minghella and Marisol Nichols make this film completely special in the Saw canon and we can’t wait to unleash this unexpected and sinister new story on fans of this franchise. This is next level of Saw on full tilt."
Since the first Saw (directed by James Wan, written by Leigh Whannell, and based on their 2003 short film of the same name) was released in 2004, the franchise has spawned seven sequels and enjoyed box office longevity. Each film places people who have done morally questionable things in gruesome traps that often require immense sacrifices to escape, and it will be interesting to see the approach Rock and company take to the macabre material in the new film.
There's no word yet if Tobin Bell will return to reprise his role as John Kramer, but we'll be sure to keep Daily Dead readers updated as more details are announced. In the meantime, what are your thoughts on the casting for the new Saw film?
Raised on a steady diet of R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps books and Are You Afraid of the Dark?, Derek has been fascinated with fear since he first saw ForeverWare being used on an episode of Eerie, Indiana.
When he’s not writing about horror as the Senior News Reporter for Daily Dead, Derek can be found daydreaming about the Santa Carla Boardwalk from The Lost Boys or reading Stephen King and Brian Keene novels.
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