A producer for Saw X has clarified where in the timeline the new horror sequel takes place. The movie, which is the tenth in the ongoing Saw franchise, features the return of the engineering genius killer Jigsaw (Tobin Bell), who died during the events of 2006’s Saw III. Although it wasn’t initially made clear exactly when, Saw X takes place before that time, allowing the likewise deceased Jigsaw acolyte Amanda Young (Shawnee Smith) to make an appearance as well.
In anticipation of the official Saw X release date of September 29, Bloody Disgusting shared a quote from producer Oren Koules on Twitter that clarifies exactly when the new movie will take place.
The post sharing Koules’ statement reveals that Saw X takes place “weeks after” the original 2004 Saw. Koules continued, saying that “in our mind, this movie is really Saw II.”
The Saw Franchise Timeline Explained
Although the Saw movies featured their main killer dying three installments in, Tobin Bell has reprised the role of Jigsaw in every entry except 2021’s spinoff Spiral: From the Book of Saw. This has largely been able to happen thanks to the liberal application of flashbacks explaining how the killer planned the events of the sequels prior to his death. However, the franchise is also unafraid to play with the timeline from time to time.
The Saw timeline runs in chronological order for the first three entries. However, the twist ending of 2007’s Saw IV reveals that the tortuous trap set for its central character was taking place at the same time as the main trap in Saw III, so Jigsaw was alive for both movies. After that, Saw V, Saw VI, and Saw: The Final Chapter largely continued in chronological order, with flashbacks peppering the killings carried out by Jigsaw’s protégé Mark Hoffman (Costas Mandylor).
However, the 2017 legacy sequel Jigsaw eventually revived the series’ habit of twisting the timeline. While it appeared that the investigation at the center of the movie was uncovering a series of currently ongoing killings that formed the narrative spine of the movie, the twist revealed that the victims were actually part of one of Jigsaw’s early traps from ten years before. While Saw X will likely feature a twist of its own, the timeline has at least finally been clarified, giving this legacy sequel a clear place in the main branch of the franchise.
Key Release Dates
Saw 10
Release Date:2023-09-29
