After Saw was released in 2004 to great commercial success, a sequel was quickly green lit and the release date of October 28, 2005 was announced.
Fans of the series didn’t have to wait the entire year however, as Lionsgate films had a website The House of Jigsaw available for fans to chat and discuss both the original film and places the sequel might go.
Saw’s writer Leigh Whannel stated about the website that “...one of the best things for James (Wan) and I is watching people take ownership of the film and arguing about it, you're thinking oh my god, they’re discussing heatedly something [James and I] thought up.”(1) Early posts in the forum range from spotting technical errors and conjecture about the motives of the killer, to ideas about what the second film might be about.
In October of 2005, a comic book, Saw: Rebirth was released as well as the uncut edition of Saw, which included two commentary tracks, a behind the scenes documentary called "Hacking Away at Saw" and a feature called "Full Disclosure Report: Piecing Together Jigsaw", which in the guise of a nightly news report, was effectively a recap of the first film, and, for the dedicated fans watching all the special features, the first appearance of Detective Eric Matthews (played by Donnie Wahlberg) is actually in this short film, introducing him before his lead role in Saw II.
The Comic Book, Saw Rebirth, written by Renato Guedes, R. Eric Lieb, and Chris Oprisko, this single-issue comic is a prequel to the original film, attempts to explain the creation of the Jigsaw Killer from a civil servant to the mastermind he appears to be in the first film. The comic didn't continue as a series, which isn't surprising, as it made no reference to Saw II, and really feels like conjecture on what must have occurred before the events of the first film rather than an attempt to tell as story in it's own right.
Works Cited:
Lions Gate Film, "Hacking Away at Saw" on Saw: Uncut Edition. 2005
