Chris Rock, Lionsgate to Revive SAW Franchise
Chris Rock and Lionsgate have announced a new collaboration on a Saw spinoff film.
The announcement came Thursday from Joe Drake, chairman of Lionsgate’s Motion Picture Group, who said, “When Chris Rock came to us and described in chilling detail his fantastic vision that reimagines and spins off the world of the notorious Jigsaw Killer, we were all-in.”
Lionsgate will be co-producing with Twisted Pictures, which was founded by Mark Burg, Oren Koules, and Gregg Hoffman. Burg and Koules will produce, and the new film will be directed by Darren Lynn Bousman, who also directed Saw II, Saw III, and Saw IV.
“Chris wants to put his own spin on the Saw franchise in the way Eddie Murphy put a completely fresh perspective on buddy-cop films with 48 Hours,” said Burg and Koules. “This new Saw is going to be an event film in the making for horror fans. It will have all of the twists and turns and hardcore layers that our fans expect directed by one of the masters of the craft, Darren Lynn Bousman. We can’t wait to get started.”
Pete Goldfinger and Josh Stolberg are adapting Rock’s story, and Rock will also executive produce along with Daniel Heffner and Saw creators James Wan and Leigh Whannell. Wan made his directorial debut with the first Saw, which kicked off a series of eight films that have grossed almost $1 billion worldwide.
“I’ve been a fan of Saw since the first film in 2004,” said Rock. “I am excited by the opportunity to take this to a really intense and twisted new place.”
