After two failed attempts to revive the iconic Saw franchise in the last decade — first with 2017’s barn-bound Jigsaw, then 2020’s bizarre Chris Rock starrer Spiral: From The Book Of Saw — it had, until fairly recently, seemed that the Jigsaw puzzle was one Hollywood simply couldn’t piece together any longer. But after 2023’s fan-pleasing Saw X and last year’s exciting announcement that Blumhouse Atomic Monster had bought Saw’s rights, things have been looking up for the bloody billion-dollar saga. And now, per Deadline‘s reporting, Saw’s next chapter has found its director: Beware Boiúna director Mike P. Nelson.
No stranger to bringing something new to known and gnarly horror IP, Nelson — whose past works include 2021’s Wrong Turn, a short in V/H/S 85, and last year’s underseen yet deliciously icky Silent Night, Deadly Night — is an exciting pick to steer Saw’s latest revival, a lesser-known filmmaker but one with proven genre bona fides. And James Wan, who’ll be producing the movie alongside OG Saw co-scribe Leigh Whannell and Jason Blum, clearly agrees. “Making the original Saw was a defining experience for me, so it was essential to find a director who would honor that world,” said the Atomic Monster founder and filmmaker in a statement accompanying today’s news. “Mike has a raw, distinctive filmmaking voice with an inventive approach to the genre, and I believe he’ll bring something truly unique and special to the franchise.”
In his own statement, Nelson — whose giant snake creature feature Beware Boiúna has been causing a stir since its Fantastic Fest world premiere last week — shared his excitement to be stepping into Saw’s sadistic cinematic world along with writers written by Gregory Weidman and Geoff Tock (Below, Dune: Prophecy). “Being asked to play in this twisted sandbox with James is nothing short of a dream come true,” said Nelson. “Greg and Geoff and James have crafted such a wild script that brings the mystery of the original while exploring new insane bloody ideas that meld so well with the brutal moral compass of the franchise. Let the games begin!”
With Wan and Whannell back aboard, a buzzy emerging voice in horror at the helm, and the genre having experienced not so much a moment as a whole movement in recent times, now may just be the perfect time to get the Jigsaw back out of the box. Let the games begin, indeed. *Alexa, play ‘Hello Zepp’*
