Lionsgate is bringing Saw back to theaters this year in a surprising new way thanks to Spiral. The new film is from executive producer Chris Rock, who also came up with the story. Rock stars as a police detective investigating a string of sadistic murders targeting cops.
Lionsgate is billing Spiral as coming from “the book of Saw.” The official synopsis offers only a broad guess as to how Spiral will fit into the world of Saw as it follows a sadistic mastermind who unleashes a twisted form of justice. We talking ’bout Jigsaw or someone or something brand new? Working in the shadow of an esteemed police veteran (played by the imitable Samuel L. Jackson), brash detective Ezekiel “Zeke” Banks (Rock) and his rookie partner (Max Minghella) take charge of a grisly investigation into murders that are eerily reminiscent of the city’s gruesome past. Unwittingly entrapped in a deepening mystery, Zeke finds himself at the center of the killer’s morbid game.
Check out the first trailer for Spiral below:
The trailer doesn’t give much in the way of elaborating on the above synopsis. We get to see off with Rock’s character, Detective Banks, getting called to the scene of a gruesome murder where the killer has been specifically been targeting cops. It seems this killer is leaving behind red spirals at the crime scene, which is about as close to a reference to previous Saw films as we get. The red spiral is a common pattern on Jigsaw’s little creepy puppet, Billy who dons red spirals on each of its cheeks. But because this is a Saw film directed by Darren Lynn Bousman who helmed Saw II, Saw III, and Saw IV, we can bet we’re going to get a little more torture and less Se7en when Spiral hits theaters this Spring.
Spiral will mark this franchise’s ninth installment in the long-running Saw series, which started back in 2004 with an original film directed by James Wan, who co-wrote with Leigh Whannell. There used to be a Saw movie every year from 2004 to 2010, then the franchise took a seven-year hiatus before returning with Jigsaw in 2017. It makes sense Lionsgate would continue to mine for new ways to keep Saw going. The franchise has proven incredibly lucrative for the company. Seven of the eight Saw films grossed over $100 million at the box office worldwide with Saw II remaining the top grosser domestically.
Check out Spiral‘s first poster as well, which sports an atmospheric indie-vibe with a color palette considerably softer than anything we’ve come to expect from the Saw franchise.
Spiral twists into theaters nationwide starting May 15.
Source: Lionsgate
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