Saw 8?

[Mitch Henessey]

Even while Lionsgate was promoting the release of Saw 3D last July-October we'd been hearing internal rumblings that an eighth film would most definitely be happening - at least after the franchise took a much needed short hiatus.

Liongate Vice Chairman Michael Burns recently spoke with CNBC and openly revealed that a new film was in the cards.

"I'm sure, some day, you'll see Saw back in the picture," Burns said, speaking on the potential return of Jigsaw and his infamous games of life and death.

Other than the upcoming The Hunger Games, Lionsgate doesn't have any other major franchises (unless you count Tyler Perry's name). Unless they push hard with You're Next, doing another Saw is a very smart way to some financial gain.

http://www.bloody-disgusting.com/news/27484 (the video is inside this link)

The Saw franchise started out with so much promise, and over the years, the Saw franchise has become one of the more popular horror film series. I really enjoyed the first three films in the series, but the Saw series took a dive in quality, as films 4-7 were released. This series needed some serious breathing room, and constantly releasing this films year after year didn't help anything at all. If Saw 8 does happen, audiences probably won't see the film for a few years or more, but the possibility of an eighth Saw film doesn't excite me at all.

What could they possibly do with the story? In the storyline, Jigsaw is dead, Amanda Young is dead, Eric Matthews is dead, Jill Tuck (Jigsaw's wife) is dead, Detective Strahm is dead, Detective Kerry is dead, and Detective Hoffman is dead. Every important character is GONE, so how could they possibly salvage a story? Yeah, I know one man is still alive....

Spoiler

Dr. Gordon

I don't know about the rest of you, but the surprise of Jigsaw's last apprentice was a huge letdown for me, and this shocking secret had to be one of the most underwhelming surprises ever. And does everyone really want to see another film that features a bunch of Jigsaw recordings and flashbacks?

Usually, the idea of reboots don't excite me too much, but the Saw film franchise desperately NEEDS a reboot. A fresh start could actually help the Saw film series, because a reboot could give fans something fresh. All seven films did give away a good amount of details and information with the crazy amount of flashbacks, so the idea of a set of prequels really doesn't sound too enticing. We already know Jigsaw's motivations and beliefs, and the same thing can be said about all of the apprentices in each film. Also, Saw fans are familiar with the troubles and the misfortunes of Jigsaw's victims, so I doubt prequels would shed any new light on these characters. A set of prequels might work, if they take the storyline to some early stages. We could see the lives of John Kramer and Jill Tuck before the dark days (John's cancer, the car accident, Jill losing the baby), but when you stop and think about it, Saw films with this type of storyline would feel more like a drama series.

As of right now, this is all speculation, but the possibility of an eighth Saw film sounds very realistic. Saw does have a nice sized horror fanbase, so there's a good chance the new film will make a noticeable impact at the box office, and Saw films can be a good treat for Halloween season. But the possibility of Saw 8 doesn't do anything for me. I don't want to see any more Saw films, with new and random characters, who are killed off by extravagant and complex death traps, and a new and underwhelming apprentice tries to take Jigsaw's place, while flashbacks remind us of the good old days.

What are your thoughts?

 

[Davi323]

Ummm....copycat killer?

the new "Saw" doesn't have to have much, if anything to do with the original cast, it could just be a guy who became obsessed with the original exploits and decided to mimic them on his own. John got the idea on his own, what stops someone else from copying it? Doesn't have to revolve around John at all.

 

[Dagger Dias]

They actually had planned to do 8 films originally but changed their plans when Saw 6 made much lower profits compared to the older films. Saw 7 then got updated to include content meant for the final film. I think they made the right decision. I liked the series a lot and did not want to see it end personally, but people were sick of Hoffman and felt flashbacks of Jigsaw were not enough.

If they did do an 8th film then I think a sequel about either Gordon or a copycat killer would make the most sense. Saw 4 through 7 were FULL of flashbacks so a prequel would make little sense if you ask me because we already know what life was like for Jigsaw before the first film. The revelation of Gordon not only having lived but also his involvement as the final piece of the plot's puzzle makes him the prime candidate for an 8th film to be about. A copycat killer might start setting traps for victims and Gordon, knowing how that system worked, could be the hero. Flashbacks would once again be the only way to bring in Jigsaw himself but they did that to themselves when they killed him off 3 or 4 movies too early.

 

[Mitch Henessey]

Ummm....copycat killer?

the new "Saw" doesn't have to have much, if anything to do with the original cast, it could just be a guy who became obsessed with the original exploits and decided to mimic them on his own. John got the idea on his own, what stops someone else from copying it? Doesn't have to revolve around John at all.

A storyline with a copycat killer could work, but when it's all said and done, some references will be made toward Jigsaw, so the chances of the story still revolving around Tobin Bell's character are very good. He is the reason for the traps and the deadly games, so his name and character have to receive some time in the potential new film.

Also, Detective Hoffman's character does fit the profile of the copycat killer. He copied Jigsaw's style of killings (the tape recordings and the deadly traps), he wanted keep Jigsaw's legacy alive, and he was branded a Jigsaw killer. If they introduce a new killer, he or she will probably be another psycho with some serious mental problems. As you said, they could become obsessed with John's work, and Jigsaw's work could become their motivation. But someone, who wants to follow in Jigsaw's footsteps will always have the motivation to carry on his legacy, and we've seen this before in the Saw films. They could make a copycat killer storyline work, but this type of storyline does have that "been there done that" type of feeling.

They actually had planned to do 8 films originally but changed their plans when Saw 6 made much lower profits compared to the older films. Saw 7 then got updated to include content meant for the final film. I think they made the right decision. I liked the series a lot and did not want to see it end personally, but people were sick of Hoffman and felt flashbacks of Jigsaw were not enough.

If they did do an 8th film then I think a sequel about either Gordon or a copycat killer would make the most sense. Saw 4 through 7 were FULL of flashbacks so a prequel would make little sense if you ask me because we already know what life was like for Jigsaw before the first film. The revelation of Gordon not only having lived but also his involvement as the final piece of the plot's puzzle makes him the prime candidate for an 8th film to be about. A copycat killer might start setting traps for victims and Gordon, knowing how that system worked, could be the hero. Flashbacks would once again be the only way to bring in Jigsaw himself but they did that to themselves when they killed him off 3 or 4 movies too early.

Detective Gordon could be a logical choice for the main character in Saw 8. But the storyline of the chase to take out another Jigsaw apprentice has been done before. This storyline was showcased in other Saw films, and the Gordon character doesn't seem like the best choice to be the one, who will become the nest Jigsaw. I'm sorry, but he just looks like another underwhelming apprentice. I know we didn't see that much of him in Saw 7, but Jigsaw's character will always cast this huge shadow over the entire series, because that character does have a lot of irreplaceable value, and Tobin Bell did an outstanding job with the acting in these films.

I can understand where Dagger and Davi323 are coming from, but the Saw story has been stretched beyond its limits, and Saw 8 will probably continue the painful trend of mediocre and bad films.

 

[Davi323]

Oh, I have absolutely no doubts that another SAW movie would be lame...I was just offering a possible way around the whole "every character from the SAW movies is dead" problem. I was not indicating ANY desire whatsoever to go see yet another installment. I fully agree with you that its been played out.

 

[HoHo]

Here's a idea, Jigsaw is dead and he had a relationship with a Women when he was still married to his Wife.Make a 10 years later thing, where this other Women had a child, a Son and he takes over the family business.I loved the first 4 films, I can't even remember the rest all the way.Doing my idea would shake up the story, make Jigsaw a playa...lol.

 

[X]

My jaw, it's on the floor. There is no proper way to describe the shock and awe this ground-breaking news has given me.

No but in all seriousness, this is the least shocking film news of the year. It's pretty simple really...if people continue to pay money in theaters to go see the Saw films in the huge numbers they have in the past (though the profit has steadily been declining for years now for the franchise with each subsequent release), Lions Gate will continue to make them. End of story. Doesn't matter if they have to find writers and directors from the back lot of a soap opera shooting, they'll do it, because unlike the film studios of other storied horror franchises of the past like Friday the 13th (Paramount originally for the first eight films), Lions Gate has no moral qualms about the films they're making, they're completely proud of them in fact and pimp them out. For good reason too, Saw fucking built Lions Gate, without that franchise they aren't even sniffing the kind of money they've been raking in for years now. So unlike a "major" studio like Paramount, they don't really have that many other strong franchises, so they're going to tap out the Saw universe until it gets to the point where we're at Saw 14 Part 2: The Revenge of Jigsaw's Wooden Cock, so long as there's a market.

I stopped going to see the films in theaters years ago, but I've checked them all out when they came out on DVD. I don't hate the franchise as much as some of my fellow horror fanatics, but I don't love it either. So long as they provide us with some gruesome and creative traps, that's really all that matters at the end of the day, that's the main point of these torture porn slasher flicks, the elaborate death scenes. I'm sure my policy will remain intact for this sequel, not going to spend $20 to see this in theater when I can just download the shit for free when it comes out on DVD.

 

[Fallen Angel 21.3]

From what I can remember in the final SAW, i didn't think Hoffman is dead, his fate is still unknown. I thought they put him in the room from the first movie. So there is still a chance with Hoffman and Dr. Gordon to do another movie. I did love all of the movies expect for the first one cuz when i watched the first one i was sooooo lost and didn't put up on it until the second one. I just loved how the movies kept intertwining between eachother and I loved how Jigsaw kept his games like a chess match thinking 3 moves ahead of everybody nobody not even Jill, Amanda, or even Hoffman knew where they would end up. Even though the two main Detectives are dead everybody knows Hoffman is the killer.

 

[Mitch Henessey]

From what I can remember in the final SAW, i didn't think Hoffman is dead, his fate is still unknown. I thought they put him in the room from the first movie. So there is still a chance with Hoffman and Dr. Gordon to do another movie. I did love all of the movies expect for the first one cuz when i watched the first one i was sooooo lost and didn't put up on it until the second one. I just loved how the movies kept intertwining between eachother and I loved how Jigsaw kept his games like a chess match thinking 3 moves ahead of everybody nobody not even Jill, Amanda, or even Hoffman knew where they would end up. Even though the two main Detectives are dead everybody knows Hoffman is the killer.

I don' think so. As far as Hoffman's death goes, the ending for Saw 7/3D was pretty clear, and I don't think he had a realistic chance for an escape:

[YOUTUBE]GuIqSdmcHpI&feature=related[/YOUTUBE]

Gordon was able to escape the bathroom in the first film, but he had to cut off his own foot to do so. Gordon threw away the only possible tool that could help Hoffman escape (the saw), so Hoffman's demise was inevitable, and he probably suffered the same fate as Adam (the other victim from the first film, or the corpse shown next to Hoffman during this ending). The chances of Hoffman's survival are very slim, but when it comes to the Saw series, unexpected surprises and twist endings are very common, so a comeback for the Hoffman character in the eighth film wouldn't surprise me too much.

 

[Kermit]

Thanks guys, I had never seen any of the movies past the second one, and this thread sparked me into reading a text version of all the movies. Definitely a series that I would of loved to continue, but didn't, and still don't, have the time to pick up. I've never been a big slasher buff, but the formula of Saw worked for me.

I wouldn't be opposed to an eighth movie, but from what I have read, it seems as though they marked this up as the final chapter. BUT, with the twist at the end of "3D," I wouldn't be shocked if revamp the series all together.

Semi-Related: Does anyone know of any other mystery movies like this that follow the same type of plot progression?

 

[Heel Beard]

I'm quite the fan of the Saw franchise, though an 8th film would have to be a prequel. There are some unanswered aspects of the films that could be tidied up nicely.

Saw showed it could have corresponding plots and showing some plot points from a different perspective could work. I would be very disappointed if this did not happen in this rumored sequel.

 

[LSN80]

I'm not a huge fan of horror movies, but the Saw franchise may be my favorite franchise of all time. They became a Halloween tradition for my friends and I, as we bought advanced screening tickets for the midnight showings every year.

Even with the films deteriorating in scares as the series went on, I found myself liking them more as the series went on. 4-6 truly did a nice job exploring John Kramer the person, the pitfalls of American Healthcare, and what transformed an essential humanitarian in Kramer into the serial killer Jigsaw. I wasn't a fan of the Hoffman character, and I felt his presence hurt the later movies somewhat, but I felt #7 was a nice finale, especially with the re-introduction of Cary Elwes as Dr. Gordon.

I have mixed feelings about the possibility of an 8th movie, however. On one hand, I loved the first seven movies(with the exception of #4), but where further could they go? They've killed off virtually every meaningful character except for Dr. Gordon, and they seem to bring the movies full circle with Gordon being in the first and the seventh. Most of the plot holes were tied up, so I'm not sure what direction they could go in, unless they wanted to explore the Gordon character.

On the other hand, Ive been such a big fan of this franchise that I'd love to see it continue, just to see what direction they would take it in. I do think Cary Elwes/Dr. Gordon as that new killer could put a potentially fresh(and good) spin on the series. I'm not thrilled about the introduction of new characters, but I think Cary Elwes could be a fine lead to take the reigns from Jigsaw, as long as they delve further into how and why he got involved with Jigsaw. One would imagine it would have taken some convincing, as I'm sure Jigsaw wasn't his favorite person after he was forced to cut his leg off to survive. So as long as they provided a decent backstory as to how Gordon became Jigsaw's ally, and a fresh perspective as to who Gordon selects as victims, count me in for yet another midnight showing should this materialize.

 

[keehlnate]

I completely agree with the reboot. The first 3 (or 4?) part of the Series was really good. But it has lost it's touch with the latter films. They unknowingly removed the main element that made the Saw series. That is the psychological thriller part. Remember how the early series makes you think how some of the scenes were made? And those mind-boggling ending twist? The latter part of the series, especially the Saw 3d was more of an action-thriller and it became predictable. It became very disappointing on my part.

A prefer a reboot more than a part 8.