Spiral: From the Book of Saw (Chris Rock to Co-write & Produce)

[Britnasty]

In what I deem the most WTF news of the day:

Chris Rock To Reboot ‘Saw’ Franchise With Lionsgate & Twisted Pictures

Chris Rock is teaming with Lionsgate and Twisted Pictures for a fresh imagination on the next Saw movie. The comedy multi-hyphenate has written a story which is being adapted by Pete Goldfinger and Josh Stolberg, and Rock will also executive produce. Lionsgate has dated the film for an Oct. 23, 2020 release.

“When Chris Rock 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,” said Lionsgate’s Motion Picture Group chairman Joe Drake. “Saw is one of the highest grossing horror franchises of all-time and it’s one of Lionsgate’s most successful film series. This upcoming film will still be as mind bending and intense as all the previous Saw films. 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.”

“I’ve been a fan of Saw since the first film in 2004,” said Rock. “I am excited by the opportunity to take this to a really intense and twisted new place.”
“Chris wants to put his own spin on the Saw franchise in the way Eddie Murphy put a completely fresh perspective on buddy-cop films with 48 Hours. This new Saw is going to be an event film in the making for horror fans. It will have all of the twists and turns and hardcore layers that our fans expect directed by one of the masters of the craft, Darren Lynn Bousman. We can’t wait to get started,” said Burg and Koules.

Blumhouse and Miramax recently reaped great success when they re-awakened Halloween with hard comedic duo Danny McBride (as writer and EP) and filmmaker David Gordon Green to the tune of $254M-plus at the global box office, the best results ever in the 41-year old franchise. The next Saw movie will be produced by longtime series producers Mark Burg and Oren Koules, and be directed by Darren Lynn Bousman, who helmed three of the most successful films in the Saw franchise. The film will be executive produced by Rock, long-time Saw executive producer Daniel Heffner and the original creators of Saw, James Wan and Leigh Whannel.

Rock can next be seen in the upcoming Sally Potter film, Molly and Netflix’s Dolemite is My Name! In the fall, he heads into production for season 4 of FX/MGM’s Emmy-winning drama series Fargo. Film credits include Beverly Hills Cop 2, Boomerang, New Jack City, Lethal Weapon 4, Dogma, Nurse Betty, Head of State (directorial debut), Down to Earth (co-wrote), I Think I Love My Wife (wrote & directed), The Longest Yard, the Madagascar films, Grown Ups, Death at a Funeral, What to Expect When You’re Expecting, Grown Ups 2, 2 Days in New York, Top Five (wrote, directed & starred in), and, of course, Pootie Tang, among others. He co-created and narrated the comedy series Everybody Hates Chris. His Netflix special Tamborine” is currently streaming.

Rock is repped by ICM, Untitled Entertainment, and Morris Yorn Barnes Levine Krintzman Rubenstein Kohner & Gellman.

Deadline