Tobin Bell Returning As Jigsaw In Next Saw Movie

He wants to play a game. Again. After last year's Spiral: From the Book of Saw was the first film in the Saw franchise to not feature Tobin Bell as John Kramer/Jigsaw, the actor is returning to the franchise, according to a report from Deadline.

Bell first played the role in 2004's Saw, with his character ultimately dying in Saw III. Of course, that didn't stop him from appearing in several more movies in flashbacks, photos, and imagery of his corpse. Now, after sitting out Spiral, he's ready to return for the 10th film in the series, Saw X. Production is reportedly slated to begin production this month.

"What a thrill to be reuniting with Tobin," series producers Mark Burg and Oren Koules said in a statement. "His performance as John Kramer is part of the magic that made this franchise a phenomenon and his character is an active part of this film."

Little else is known about the next Saw film, including any other returning or new characters, or even where in the Saw timeline it's set. After all, fans saw Kramer die pretty decisively in Saw III, but he has managed to set up further games (and accomplices) to test people for multiple movies after. Will he appear in more flashbacks? Is this set before he died? Is he somehow not dead even though we literally saw his neck be cut open? Is this a prequel to everything, somehow even though we've kind of done that already?

Time will tell and hopefully answer some of those questions. The next Saw film will be directed by Kevin Greuter, who serves as editor on the first five films, along with Jigsaw, and directed parts 6 and 7. The film is set for release on October 27, 2023.