When it was announced that Lionsgate would be rebooting Saw based on an original idea from Chris Rock, most laughed at the idea. But the franchise will be bringing back some key players. The original creators of the franchise, James Wan and Leigh Whannell, executive produce alongside Daniel Heffner and Rock. Additionally, Darren Lynn Bousman, who directed Saw II, Saw III, and Saw IV, would be helming. And Pete Goldfinger and Josh Stolberg, who penned the last entry of the Saw franchise, would be writing the script.

Now the reboot, which promises take the horror series to an “intense and twisted new place,” is adding some major star power. According to new reports, Glass and Spider-Man: Far From Home star Samuel L. Jackson will be joining the cast. More on the report below.

Variety says Jackson will be playing the father of Rock’s character. He would be joining Max Minghella, who plays William Schenk, Rock’s partner. Marisol Nichols will play Capt. Angie Garza, Rock’s boss.

Drake described Rock’s re-envisioning as “mind-bending and intense as all the previous Saw films” and something that would “completely reverential to the legacy of the material while reinvigorating the brand.”

Rock, who is a fan of the franchise, also expressed his excitement to jump into the series and bring his vision for it to life.

The franchise centered on Jigsaw, who would kidnap his victims and place them in killer traps in an effort to test their will to live. But this new film is being envisioned as a reboot, so it could ignore the previous installments. It will be interesting to see just how far the new film will deviate from the original series and how much it will stay true to the spirit of it. I can’t imagine Saw existing without any of the death traps or Tobin Bell’s Jigsaw. But we will just have to wait and see.

Lionsgate has scheduled Saw for an October 23, 2020 release.

[Source: Variety]