Saw Director Darren Lynn Bousman Joins Thriller Serpentine

Darren Lynn Bousman, who directed four films in the Saw horror series, has come aboard to direct Serpentine, a new thriller, Deadline reported on 27 October 2026.

The project is from Dream State Studios and its partner, Brand in Entertainment. Dream State is producing the film, and its president, Valerie Palencar, is involved in the project. Rolfe J. Auerbach, chief executive of Brand in Entertainment, is executive producing.

The story is set in a New England town that looks quiet from the outside. Organised crime, crooked police officers, buried secrets and competitive figure skating all collide there. At the centre is a woman who thinks she has found a way out of a dangerous life. Escape, it turns out, comes with a price.

The financing is one of the more unusual parts of the plan. According to Deadline, the film will be funded partly by brands that Brand in Entertainment has brought in. Their products will be built into the story from the earliest stages, rather than added later as background. Film makers call this product integration, and it means a company's goods can become part of what happens on screen.

Bousman's name carries a long horror history. He began his career directing commercials and music videos. He came to wider notice when he was hired to direct Saw II, which was his feature debut in 2005. That film was co-written by Bousman and Leigh Whannell. He then directed Saw III, Saw IV and Spiral: From the Book of Saw. He has also directed Repo! The Genetic Opera, a horror musical.

Serpentine is one of several projects Bousman has taken on since those early days. Its mix of crime, small-town secrets and sport gives him a different setting from the Saw films. Those decisions usually follow once a film moves further into production.