Saw II

Saw II
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Darren Lynn Bousman
Written by	Leigh Whannell Darren Lynn Bousman
Produced by	Gregg Hoffman Oren Koules Mark Burg
Starring	Donnie Wahlberg Franky G Glenn Plummer Beverley Mitchell Dina Meyer Emmanuelle Vaugier Erik Knudsen Shawnee Smith Tobin Bell
Cinematography	David A. Armstrong
Edited by	Kevin Greutert
Music by	Charlie Clouser
Production company	Twisted Pictures
Distributed by	Lions Gate Films
Release date	October 28, 2005 (2005-10-28)
Running time	93 minutes
Countries	Canada United States
Language	English
Budget	$4 million
Box office	$152.9 million[1]

Saw II is a 2005 horror film directed by Darren Lynn Bousman and written by Leigh Whannell and Bousman. It is the sequel to 2004's Saw and the second installment in the Saw film series. The film stars Donnie Wahlberg, Franky G, Glenn Plummer, Beverley Mitchell, Dina Meyer, Emmanuelle Vaugier, Erik Knudsen, Shawnee Smith, and Tobin Bell. In the film, a group of ex-convicts are trapped by the Jigsaw Killer inside a house and must pass a series of deadly tests to retrieve the antidote for a nerve agent that will kill them in two hours.

After the successful opening weekend of 2004's Saw, a sequel was immediately green-lit. Whannell and James Wan were busy preparing for their next film and were unable to write or direct. Bousman wrote a script called The Desperate before Saw was released and was looking for a producer but many studios rejected it. Gregg Hoffman received the script and showed it to his partners Mark Burg and Oren Koules. It was decided that, with some changes, it could be made into Saw II. Whannell became available to provide rewrites of the script. The film was given a larger budget and was shot from May to June 2005 in Toronto.

Saw II was released in the United States on October 28, 2005, by Lionsgate Films. It opened with $31.9 million and grossed $88 million in the United States and Canada. It has remained the highest grossing Saw film in those countries. Bell was nominated for "Best Villain" at the 2006 MTV Movie Awards for his role as Jigsaw in the film. Saw II was released to home media on February 14, 2006, and topped charts its first week, selling more than 3 million units. Saw II was followed by a sequel titled Saw III (2006) and later a prequel titled Saw X (2023).^[2]