Saw Star Tobin Bell Not Ruling Out a Return to John Kramer

Throughout his career, actor Tobin Bell has starred in a number of different projects spanning multiple genres, but it was his role in the original Saw and subsequent appearances in seven sequels that earned him a passionate following in the horror community, with the actor returning to the genre for the upcoming The Call. While a new film in the Saw franchise, Spiral: From the Book of Saw, will be hitting theaters next May, some fans are still hoping to see Bell reprise his role in that series, which the actor isn’t entirely ruling out, so long as he connects with the script. The Call hit select theaters and drive-ins on October 2nd.

“It’s about the writing, if the writing is great,” Bell shared with ComicBook.com when discussing what would make him return to the franchise. “John Kramer is a King Lear-sized character, in my view, there’s a huge range to him. He’s interested in a multiplicity of things, from theology to philosophy to music to art, you name it. It all comes down to the writing. Actors are always looking for great scripts and great characters. I’ve had the wonderful opportunity of playing this guy in, let’s see, one, two, three, four, five…eight films. Having an opportunity to develop him and to develop the people he cares about in those films, that’s been great. I can’t, frankly, prophesize about the future. You’ll have to wait and see.”

Interestingly, the upcoming Spiral comes from director Darren Lynn Bousman, who directed multiple Saw sequels and previously detailed that he had no intentions of returning to the franchise. Given that he had a change of heart and returned to the series, Bell’s comments would seemingly confirm that he could also return if the time is right and he likes the script.

As we wait to see if Bell returns to Saw, we get to see him in The Call.

From the creator of Final Destination, Lin Shaye and Tobin Bell star in this terrifying tale of death from the fall of 1987. After a tragic accident, a group of small-town friends must survive the night in the home of a sinister couple. One by one, their worst nightmares quickly become reality as they enter the realm of The Call. Four Friends. One Phone Call. 60 Seconds. Stay Alive.

Much like Bell, Shaye starred in a variety of projects before scoring a role in Insidious and its sequels, igniting a passionate following from horror fans. She previously detailed how much she enjoyed collaborating with Bell on the film.

“We’re actually terrific together. It was an excellent pairing,” Shaye shared with ComicBook.com. “I feel like we look alike in some weird way. He reminds me of some of my family members, that aquiline nose and long face and he’s very handsome, also a very handsome man. And the work on camera, I thought, was really right in the pocket. We both really waited for each other, we really listened to each other and we really committed to our relationship. I love that scene of the two of us right before I really fall apart where we’re sitting in chairs across from each other, and he’s comforting me. That’s one of my favorite scenes in the film actually.”

The Call hits theaters and drive-ins on October 2nd. Spiral: From the Book of Saw hits theaters on May 21, 2021.

Would you like to see Bell play John Kramer again? Let us know in the comments below or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter to talk all things horror and Star Wars!