If there's one thing the horror genre is known for, its sequels. Horror movies are fairly inexpensive to make, so having an iconic franchise or villain will keep fans invested, and therefore give properties long lives. This has surely been the case for the Saw movies, which had an original run of seven films, before recently reviving the torture-heavy franchise with last year's Jigsaw. Despite the years in between each sequel, Jigsaw still managed to make $103 million on a $10 million budget. Rumors immediately began swirling about a ninth movie , and now it's seemingly been confirmed thanks to franchise star Tobin Bell's divorce papers.
Tobin Bell is currently in the midst of divorce proceedings with his wife Elizabeth. The leaked documents (via The Blast) lists a ninth Saw movie as a form of income for the actor. The documents make a brief mention of a new Saw movie, the profits of which should influence both Elizabeth's upcoming spousal payments, as well as her eventual taxes. One excerpt from the suit, lists says that if Bell...
...receives any compensation from any source for his participation in the ninth motion picture in the 'Saw' series ('Saw 9 Pay') at any time, he shall pay [Elizabeth] (or reimburse her for) all of her combined Federal and California income tax liability incurred on the spousal support she receives.
While not exactly a confirmation from Lionsgate and Twisted Pictures, it certainly points to yet another Saw movie coming to theaters to scare the crap out of people, and show plenty of gore. Tobin Bell is no doubt in the earliest of conversations when it comes to making a new Saw movie, because the franchise can't really go on without its only regular character. It also stands to reason that Elizabeth would be privy to Bell's career moves, which is why she's using that information in court. What a complicated situation.
If Saw 9 is indeed coming, this isn't the way the studios intended on breaking the news. If the potential ninth movie follows the franchise's tradition, then we should probably expect the next sequel to arrive in the month of October. If things are really moving forward, it would stand to reason if Saw 9 came in the fall of 2019.
Jigsaw was the most recent installment in the Saw franchise, and once again played with the concept of time in order to keep Tobin Bell's character Jon Kramer in the narrative (he died back in Saw 3). Yet another Jigsaw protegee was revealed, as it turns out the main game of the franchise was set a decade earlier. This opens up the possibility of continuing the killer's work, testing sinners in grisly ways.
CinemaBlend will be sure to update you on all thing Saw as more details become public. In the meantime, check out our 2018 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.
