Iconic Saw Star Set to Return for Saw 11 Despite Character’s Death

We haven’t seen the last of Jigsaw. Tobin Bell, who first appeared as the Saw franchise’s killer in 2004’s Saw, confirmed in an interview with The Los Angeles Times that he will appear in Saw XI as John Kramer, aka the Jigsaw Killer. As Jigsaw was killed off in Saw III, Bell’s return may confirm that the upcoming installment in the franchise could be set just after the events of Saw X, which in the overall timeline is set prior to Saw III. According to Bell, his character’s story isn’t done just yet.

“I’m really excited about continuing to develop him,” Bell said. “John Kramer is not done. There is more to learn.”

Bell also explained that while he recognizes that playing the character for so long may “pigeonhole” him, he’s there to create a “rich acting experience”.

“If within being pigeonholed I can create a rich acting experience — which is why I became an actor — pigeonhole me, go ahead,” he said. “It’s every artist’s responsibility to create within whatever is given to him and it’s my job to change your perception of me. If you want to perceive me in a certain way, maybe you’ll see me differently when you see the next film.”

As for Bell returning, Jigsaw having been killed off in Saw III is something that director Kevin Greutert has previously spoken about and how it would be easier to continue the franchise had the character’s death not happened so early on.

“I think there is regret,” Greutert said previously. “It would be a lot easier to make these films if that hadn’t happened, but at the same time, the first three were largely considered the best of the Sa series. There was a kind of integrity, I think, to really trying to make a trilogy and nothing more. And decisively killing the character off, that integrity, as it was perceived at the time at least, was pretty important in making the story great. But the fact that more movies had to be made, we did the best that we could, and in some cases, it was great to do it through flashbacks and all that. But yeah, there’s definitely a lot of desire to have not killed him off.”

Saw XI is currently expected to open in theaters in 2025.  Keep checking with ComicBook for more updates on the Saw franchise.