All the way through the series, the plan seemed to be that Part 8 would be the last piece of the Saw puzzle. Then there was the story that, after diminished box office for Saw 6, part 7 would end the franchise with a 3D splatter. Possibly not so though. It seems that hopes are high at Lionsgate, and that Saw 3D** may not be the end after all.
Betsy Russell, who plays Jigsaw killer John Kramer's ex-wife Jill (co-starring with Tobin Bell in flashbacks, and carrying on a mysterious post-mortem agenda in the "now" bits) has told the New York Post that "we thought it was ending with 7, but the writers came up with an amazing idea for Saw 8. I'd love to see it."
"Why make two movies when we can make one really excellent movie to wrap up?" asked writer Patrick Melton in February. Well, money, we guess. If the 3D gimmick provides a shot in the arm for the series, an eighth may seem far more viable than previously. The problem is though, with the words "end" and "final" all over the publicity material so far, where will the story go? Whatever you may think of what happened after the great first Saw, the series has, laudably, been just that: a single labyrinthine story across multiple films, rather than a Friday 13th style same-again-each-time. Would Saw 8 be a film too far? You might have thought that of 2.
"We want to end near the top," says Russell, "with our integrity intact, and not let the characters die a slow death, so to speak. But I believe in my heart that Saw 8 will happen." She wouldn't be drawn on whether she'd be in it, but check out the teaser trailer, which rather suggests Saw 3D might not end well for her...
Saw 3D, directed by Kevin Greutert,** **is out in the UK on October 29.