Director Darren Lynn Bousman is right smack dab in the middle of shooting next year’s Saw reboot, which is set to star Chris Rock and Samuel L. Jackson. But unlike with most modern franchise productions, Bousman has lifted the veil of secrecy, keeping fans posted on its progress through pictures he’s uploading to Instagram. That leads us to today’s on-set snapshot, which gives us our first look at Rock’s cop character.
As you can see below, there isn’t much one can glean from this photo, other than Rock is definitely playing a police detective, a character archetype that has appeared in all eight previous Saw movies. Other pics included below show off a few rotten cadavers, a bloody victim, and Bousman taking a hands on approach to capturing a shot himself.
Yet, despite the near daily set photos, we still don’t actually know what this Saw movie is about. Chris Rock is said to have pitched the story himself, and Samuel L. Jackson is adding yet another franchise under his belt as Rock’s father. Bousman, who spent most of his twenties directing Saw II, III, and IV, is returning to the series as well, practically guaranteeing that even if one of the world’s most famous stand-up comedians decides to reboot the property, it’ll most likely keep its trademark grimy tone.
Just last week, Bousman took to Twitter to announce that filming is over halfway done, and fans are in for a treat:
Officially more than half way through shooting the next Saw movie. It’s a doozie.
— Darren_Bousman (@darren_bousman) August 1, 2019
Originally scheduled for the franchise’s usual October release, Lionsgate apparently has enough faith in Rock and co. to move it up to a prime summer spot. We’ll know for sure if that move pays off when the Saw reboot hits the big screen on May 15th, 2020.