‘Saw’ Franchise’s Darren Lynn Bousman To Direct Psychological Thriller ‘Serpentine’

EXCLUSIVE: Darren Lynn Bousman, a filmmaker known for his work across the Saw horror franchise, has come aboard to direct Serpentine, a new thriller from Dream State Studios and partner Brand in Entertainment.

Serpentine is set in a seemingly quiet New England town where organized crime, crooked cops, buried secrets and the intensely competitive world of figure skating begin to collide.

At the center of the film is a woman who believes she has found a way out of a dangerous life, only to discover that escape comes with consequences. What begins as an attempt to disappear quickly pulls her into a strange web of criminals, local power players, and people with their own reasons for keeping the past buried.

Bousman told Deadline, “I’ve wanted for a long time to flex some different muscles outside of the horror genre, and SERPENTINE gives me that opportunity without completely abandoning the things I love. There’s still dread, fear and a real sense of intensity running through it, but it exists in this strange, darkly funny, FARGO-esque world that feels very different from anything I’ve directed before. That combination is what really excites me.”

Valerie Palencar, President of Dream State Studios, said, “Darren immediately understood what makes SERPENTINE unusual. This is a story driven by complex characters operating in a world where ambition and loyalty are constantly being tested. Darren has an extraordinary ability to create tension while never losing sight of character, and we are enormously excited to have him directing the film.”

Serpentine is being produced by Dream State Studios, with Brand in Entertainment CEO Rolfe J. Auerbach executive producing. The film will be funded partly by brands, brought in by Brand in Entertainment, whose products have been integrated into the story from the earliest stages.

“SERPENTINE was never intended to be a conventional independent film,” Auerbach said. “We are building a commercially ambitious motion picture around an extraordinary story, an internationally recognized director and a financing model that brings major consumer brands directly into the world of the film. Darren gives SERPENTINE exactly the combination of intensity, originality and commercial filmmaking experience we were looking for.”

A filmmaker who has worked in both the studio and independent spaces, Bousman is best known for directing four Saw films, beginning with 2005’s Saw II, which marked his feature debut. The others were Saw III, Saw IV and the Chris Rock spin-off Spiral: From the Book of Saw. He co-wrote Saw II with Leigh Whannell and is otherwise known for projects like Repo! The Genetic Opera, The Devil’s Carnival, Abattoir and Death of Me. He’s represented by Verve, Wonder Street, and Skrzyniarz and Mallean.