Saw Cast and Crew: Every Actor and Director

The Saw cast is built around Tobin Bell, who plays John Kramer, the Jigsaw Killer, and is billed in the top 15 of nine of the ten films from Saw (2004) to Saw X (2023). Spiral: From the Book of Saw (2021) is the exception, with a new top billed ensemble. The table gives the three top billed names for each film, which is the quickest way to see who carried each chapter. For the roles themselves, see saw characters, and for the films in release sequence, see the saw movies in order guide.

Saw (2004), directed by James Wan, puts Leigh Whannell first on the billing as the photographer Adam, with Cary Elwes as the oncologist Dr. Gordon, the other man chained in the bathroom. Bell is billed third as Jigsaw. Around them sit Danny Glover as Detective David Tapp, Ken Leung as Steven Sing, Michael Emerson as Zep Hindle, Monica Potter as Alison Gordon, Dina Meyer as Kerry, Shawnee Smith as Amanda and Makenzie Vega as Diana Gordon. Meyer and Smith matter most for what follows, because both are billed in later films.

Saw II (2005), directed by Darren Lynn Bousman, moves Bell to the top of the billing and adds Donnie Wahlberg as Detective Eric Matthews, with Erik Knudsen as his teenage son Daniel. Saw III (2006) keeps Bousman, Bell and Smith and adds Angus Macfadyen as Jeff and Bahar Soomekh as Lynn, while Meyer, Wahlberg and Whannell return in smaller parts. Saw IV (2007) brings Costas Mandylor forward as Mark Hoffman, with Scott Patterson as Agent Strahm, Betsy Russell as Jill, Lyriq Bent as Rigg and Athena Karkanis as Agent Perez.

Saw V (2008), directed by David Hackl, adds Julie Benz as Brit, Meagan Good as Luba, Mark Rolston as Dan Erickson and Carlo Rota as Charles. Saw VI (2009), directed by Kevin Greutert, gives Peter Outerbridge the role of the insurance executive William, opposite Mandylor and Rolston. Saw 3D (2010), also directed by Greutert, adds Sean Patrick Flanery as Bobby and Chester Bennington as Evan, with Elwes billed as Dr. Gordon.

Jigsaw 2017, directed by Michael and Peter Spierig, surrounds Bell with Matt Passmore, Callum Keith Rennie, Hannah Emily Anderson, Clé Bennett and Laura Vandervoort. Spiral, directed by Bousman, is a separate cast altogether: Chris Rock plays Zeke Banks in Spiral, with Max Minghella as William Schenk, Samuel L. Jackson as Marcus Banks and Marisol Nichols as Angie Garza. Saw X (2023), directed by Greutert, pairs Bell and Smith with Synnøve Macody Lund as Cecilia Pederson, Steven Brand as Parker Sears, Renata Vaca as Gabriela and Michael Beach as Henry Kessler, and Mandylor appears as Hoffman.

Six directors have made the ten Saw films: James Wan, Darren Lynn Bousman, David Hackl, Kevin Greutert and the brothers Michael Spierig and Peter Spierig. Bousman has the most credits with four (Saw II, Saw III, Saw IV and Spiral), and Greutert follows with three (Saw VI, Saw 3D and Saw X). Wan, Hackl and the Spierigs each directed one film.

Wan directed Saw (2004), which was made on a $1.2 million budget, according to Box Office Mojo. According to Wikipedia, it grew out of a short film and was shot in 18 days. Lions Gate bought the worldwide rights before the film played a midnight screening at Sundance, as Screen Daily reported. Screen Daily also lists Wan and Whannell as executive producers on Saw IV, which was the first film in the series not written by either of them.

Bousman directed three of the four sequels that followed Saw (2004) and then came back for Spiral. For that spin-off, the script is credited to Stolberg and Goldfinger, and Chris Rock has a story credit, according to Deadline. Hackl directed Saw V in between, his only credit in the series.

Greutert took over for Saw VI and Saw 3D, and returned for Saw X, which he also edited. On that film the cinematographer Nick Matthews shot with handheld cameras and visible grain, and Fractured FX built the prosthetics, according to No Film School. The producers named for Saw X are Burg, Koules and Heffner. Saw 3D credits Brian Gedge as cinematographer.

The Spierig brothers directed Jigsaw, but they did not write it. They worked with the credited writers on changes, according to an interview with The AU Review. Behind all of it is one constant: Charlie Clouser is credited as composer on every one of the ten films, so the sound of the series never changed hands. For the music itself, see the saw soundtrack.

The next film has a crew but no cast. Lionsgate and Blumhouse Atomic Monster announced on September 24, 2026 that Mike P. Nelson will direct the next Saw film (TheWrap calls it Saw 11) from a screenplay by Gregory Weidman and Geoff Tock. James Wan, Jason Blum and Leigh Whannell are producing. No cast, filming dates or release date were given, and the official title is unconfirmed. Details are tracked on the saw 11 page.