Tobin Bell is happy to return as John Kramer in ‘Saw XI,’ even though the character has died.
“I’m really excited about continuing to develop him,” the actor said in an interview with The Los Angeles Times. “John Kramer is not done. There is more to learn.”
Bell added, “If within being pigeonholed I can create a rich acting experience — which is why I became an actor — pigeonhole me, go ahead. 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.”
The actor first played the killer in 2004’s ‘Saw,’ but Jigsaw was killed in ‘Saw III.’ About Bell returning, director Kevin Greutert talked about how Jigsaw being killed in ‘Saw III’ makes it harder to continue the franchise. He said it would have been easier if the character had not died so early.
The director explained, “I think there is regret. 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.”
Greutert continued, “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.”
Bell last appeared in the franchise in 2023’s ‘Saw X,’ where his character got revenge on doctors who cheated him. The movie happened between ‘Saw’ and ‘Saw II,’ and it was a big success. ‘Saw XI’ is planned to come out in theaters in 2025.
