With the release of “Saw X” in late September, The Daily Texan sat down with producers Mark Burg and Oren Koules to discuss making a prequel for a movie franchise they first started working on over 20 years ago. This interview contains spoilers for “Saw X.”
The Daily Texan: Why did y’all decide to come back to the roots of the franchise and place the movie between “Saw” and “Saw II?”
Mark Burg & Oren Koules: We felt we owed Tobin Bell his story, and we wanted to make a movie where he was alive, not (just) in flashbacks. We (also) wanted to make a movie where Shawnee Smith could be a big part of it and kind of show the dynamic in their relationship early on. (Fans love “Saw VI,” and) it dealt with insurance and kind of what was happening with the insurance industry in our country (at the time). (So we figured) Tobin’s (character is) dying; we know he’s going to die (and so is Shawnee’s character). We’ve already shot that. So how can we keep them alive? What can we do? And what can he do? (That’s how we settled on the idea).
DT: What was the most difficult part of placing “Saw X” between the first two films?
MB & OK: Making sure that people still looked close to how they looked a long time ago. It was not easy, especially (with aging). I look so dramatically different from 20 years ago, so you know, so we just decided to embrace (the fact that everyone looks different than they did all those years ago).
DT: “Saw” is known for the traps. What were y’all’s favorites from “Saw X?”
MB & OK: I think the blood-boarding trap is one of the best traps we’ve ever done. It has the most pressure and intensity. (The writers wanted to put Tobin in a trap, and) we talked about it at length (with them). And we’re like, “No, no, no, we can’t do that.” Tobin’s too smart to ever be in a trap. Then we’re like, “All right, maybe we can pull this off. It has to just be like he got suckered into it. And, you know, how will he get out of it?” It’s getting harder and harder to come up with fresh traps, but Anthony Stabley, our production designer, and the writers crushed it. They really did. I mean, the writers wrote it, and Anthony just executed it in such a (visceral) style that it just made it super interesting.
