The Saw franchise has been in need of some serious care in recent years, as the original run of seven films ended on a rather dour note. With Jigsaw somewhat reviving the brand, the new strategy has been to bring two key components to the franchise’s future equation: franchise vet Darren Lynn Bousman in the director’s chair, and Chris Rock as the mastermind behind the new entry’s story.
However, a new development that was previously treated as a rumor has just been confirmed as a fact. Not only is Chris Rock starring in this brand new Saw film, but he’s going to have Samuel L. Jackson as a co-star, and even better, as an on-screen dad.
That’s right, the man who brought Nicholas J. Fury to life is going to play the father to Rock's police detective character! While we don't know if Jackson himself will endure a film’s worth of torturous traps and conveniently retconning flashbacks, he'll probably be doling out wisdom to his son as he tries to crack this Saw film's central case.
Earlier today, news broke that some pictures from the set of the as of yet untitled Saw sequel, which is slated to start production, had revealed that Jackson was going to be a part of the next big game that Jigsaw has in store for audiences to behold.
Let’s take a moment to really look at what’s in front of us. Samuel L. Jackson and Chris Rock are indeed starring in a darkly comic entry in the Saw franchise, directed by one of the series' earliest architects. Honestly, how can you not enjoy that sentence on mere merit alone?
It practically writes an entire scenario of two people who love to bicker, caught in a trap by an evil madman who’s pushing them to work together. Think of a buddy cop movie, except the goal is to get out of Jigsaw’s latest funhouse alive. Although, with Samuel L. Jackson cast as Chris Rock's father, the buddy in that formula will have to be played by someone else.
Which leads to the additional news that Max Minghella of The Handmaid's Tale will be doing just that. Rounding out the cast as the police captain above both detectives, is Riverdale's Marisol Nichols.
Bloody-Disgusting had supposedly confirmed that this rumor was indeed fact earlier today, and with an official studio confirmation through Lionsgate now in the mix, this nightmarish dream has become a bloody reality.
But don't worry if you're a Marvel fan hoping to see more of Jackson's infamous Avengers overseer. Coming off of his performance in Spider-Man: Far From Home, Samuel L. Jackson’s most recent on screen efforts saw him returning as Nick Fury yet again. And seeing as Marvel will probably want to use that character for quite some time, and quite possibly in the Black Widow prequel movie set to debut next year, some fans might be worried that Saw will reduce his chances of showing up.
That doesn't seem like the case though, as Saw movies are pretty economical in their production, and they’re lean, mean production machines. At the height of the series, there was an entry a year in the ever evolving tale of John Kramer and his legacy of pain; and you don’t get to that point through long shooting schedules.
We don't know how much of this new Saw movie will involve Samuel L. Jackson's role, but it could be enough to spark some audience interest in this new round of carnage. We'll see soon enough, as the production of this ninth film in the memorable series gets underway, providing more information than anyone could ever want.
Here's a wild thought: maybe Samuel L. Jackson can be the new Jigsaw, and set himself up for future installments? Who knows. What we do know is that Saw will be in theaters on October 20, 2020, and that’s pretty much it. That being said, if you want some horror (or any other cinematic entertainment) in your life, check out the 2019 release schedule for what’s new and what’s headed to theaters.
