After the success of "Saw III," the producers once again rushed a sequel into production. "Saw IV" is due out this October and creator/executive producer Leigh Whannell promises the franchise hasn’t run out of surprises. Though there are plenty of rumors about how to handle Jigsaw’s fate at the end of "Saw III," Whannell assures us that they won’t do something lame.
"Once again, in ‘Saw‘ films, it all comes down to pulling the rug out," said Whannell. "There’s a sleight of hand style that’s been cultivated through three ‘Saw’ films that we’re hopefully going to continue where you think you’re watching one thing and it turns out you’re watching another, so I hope that we can continue that and still fool the fans. I mean, fooling ‘Saw’ fans is getting harder and harder because now they’re looking to spot twists and turns."
Whannell co-wrote the first "Saw" trilogy but bowed out of "Saw IV" so that some new blood could do their take. Those he and all of the producers shared ideas about where the story could go, Whannell felt he was no longer the right person to tell Jigsaw’s story.
"The last thing I want for the sake of the ‘Saw’ fans is for the ‘Saw’ films to get stale, which they could be in danger of doing if I was to continue just hashing it out. Better to have a couple of young guys who are really excited about it the way James [Wan] and I were with the first Saw film. Better to have them come in and really attack it with passion and do something that has real passion in it than to have me just sort of slapping it out, because people would notice. The ‘Saw’ fans would notice. That’s when words like tired start to get used or stale."
[Editor’s Note: Producers Mark Burg and Oren Koules divulged at ShoWest news that actor Tobin Bell will indeed appear as Jigsaw in both "Saw IV" and "Saw V."]
"Saw IV" is due in theaters October 26 and is directed by Darren Lynn Bousman. New scribes Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan ("Feast")
