In what seems like an unlikely alliance, Chris Rock is teaming up with Lionsgate to reboot the Saw franchise.
The project from the comedian and producers Mark Burg and Oren Koules is described as a re-imagining and a spinning-off of the franchise. Lionsgate is moving quickly on the project, setting an October 23, 2020 release date for the new iteration.
The movies, released between 2004 and 2017, grossed over $1 billion for Lionsgate and centered on a serial killer named Jigsaw and his followers who concocted elaborate death traps with a moral hook for the victims. The initial movie launched the career of filmmaker James Wan and screenwriter Leigh Whannell and are among the most profitable movies ever produced.
The screenplay for the new incarnation is based on a story conceived by Rock and written by Pete Goldfinger and Josh Stolberg. Darren Lynn Bousman, who helmed three of the eight movies in the Saw series, is back as director. with Burg and Koules producing. “I’ve been a fan of Saw since the first film in 2004,” said Rock in Lionsgate’s announcement. “I am excited by the opportunity to take this to a really intense and twisted new place.”
Chris Rock can be seen next in Netflix’s Dolemite is My Name! as well as season four of FX’s Fargo.
