Regardless of whether you consider yourself to be a self-confessed scaredy-cat or a hardened expert of the genre, John Kramer is a name that ought to strike fear into the hearts of moviegoers.
After seven feature films in the Saw franchise, the demented serial killer has gone on to become one of cinema’s greatest architects of fear, subjecting his victims to a series of grotesque experiments each more horrifying than the last. His mission? To push his hapless test subjects to the absolute brink and, ultimately, examine their will to live. The fact that Kramer is nursing an inoperable brain tumor adds an extra layer of intrigue to his nightmare-inducing acts, and the upcoming Saw: Legacy is poised to delve a little deeper into what makes (or should that be made?) John Kramer tick.
But it seems Lionsgate employed the rather uninspired Saw: Legacy as something of a placeholder, as Bloody Disgusting now reports that the studio is mulling over Jigsaw as a possible title for Michael and Peter Spierig’s horror flick. What makes this claim particularly interesting is the fact that James Wan and Leigh Whannell initially planned to release the original Saw as Jigsaw more than a decade ago, so it would seem Lionsgate is contemplating the possibility of going full circle.
Regardless of the title on the masthead, Lionsgate’s horror revival has been rated R for “grisly, bloody violence and torture.” So definitely a Saw film, then. What’s more, those plot details that slithered online back in March point to a potential comeback for Tobin Bell’s criminal mastermind.
Bodies are turning up around the city, each having met a uniquely gruesome demise. As the investigation proceeds, evidence points to one man: John Kramer. But how can this be? The man known as Jigsaw has been dead for over a decade. Or has an apprentice picked up the mantle of Jigsaw, perhaps even someone inside the investigation?
Casting-wise, Liongate and the Spierig brothers have tapped the likes of Mandela Van Peebles, Laura Vandervoort, Brittany Allen, Callum Keith Rennie, Matt Passmore, Hannah Emily Anderson, Josiah Black, Shaquan Lewis, Michael Bolsvert, and James Gomez to fill out the casting docket.
Saw: Legacy (Jigsaw?) will serve up another dose of nightmare fuel on October 27th, at which point Lionsgate’s horror flick will be competing with God Particle (AKA Cloverfield 3) for the lion’s share of the box office.
