While better known for his long-running career in hilarious hijinks, comedian Chris Rock recently teamed with the Lionsgate Motion Picture Group for an upcoming reboot of 2004 torture-porn horror film Saw.
"I've been a fan of Saw since the first film in 2004," Rock told Deadline.com. "I am excited by the opportunity to take this to a really intense and twisted new place." Rock has written a new reimagining of the story and will also serve as the film's executive producer.
The franchise is one of the most financially successful of all time and dominated a post-9/11 era in which consumers showed an uptick in interest regarding realistic body horror and psychological distress over the then-prominent resurgence in traditional slasher films á la Wes Craven's Scream and its sequels.
Lionsgate chairman Joe Drake is particularly excited about Rock's spin on the massively popular series. "When [he] came to us and described in chilling detail his fantastic vision that reimagines and spins-off the world of the notorious Jigsaw Killer, we were all-in," he enthused. "Chris conceived this idea and it will be completely reverential to the legacy of the material while reinvigorating the brand with his wit, creative vision and passion for this classic horror franchise."
Now in the pre-production stages, Chris Rock's Saw is expected to make its world debut on October 23, 2020. Rock's story is currently being adapted for the big screen by Pete Goldfinger (who worked on 2017 entry to the franchise Jigsaw) and Josh Stolberg (Good Luck Chuck, Conception). Rock will stay busy between now and the movie's release by working on other films such as Sally Potter's Molly and Netflix original Dolemite is My Name!, a biopic starring Eddie Murphy based on the raunchy comedian Rudy Ray Moore.
