The new trailer for the latest entry in the Saw franchise, Spiral: From the Book of Saw, has been revealed. The Lionsgate film stars Chris Rock as a police detective living in the shadow of his esteemed father (Samuel L. Jackson), who along with his rookie partner (Max Minghella) must investigate a series of gruesome murders that are reminiscent of 'The Jigsaw Killer.'
The Saw franchise began back in 2004 with the release of the first film, a low-budget horror movie directed by James Wan and written by Leigh Whannell. The 2004 film tells the story of two men trapped in a room with explicit instructions to either kill each other or face the consequences. That film sparked a franchise that now consists of nine feature films, primarily focusing on the character Jigsaw, a serial killer who traps his victims and forces them to play "games" to test their will to live. Even though Jigsaw was killed in the third film, the following sequels continued to reveal more about the killer through flashbacks and showed his influence through his many apprentices. The films have often been labeled as 'gore porn,' a sub-genre of horror that heavily focuses on blood and violence.
Director Darren Lynn Bousman returns to the Saw franchise to helm Spiral. Bousman previously directed the second, third, and fourth Saw movies. The newest movie stars comedian Chris Rock as brash Detective Ezekiel “Zeke” Banks, who gets swept up in an investigation forcing him to play the 'game' to try and discover the identity of this new killer. The trailer appears to show that the new Jigsaw killer may have a personal connection to Rock's character and his fellow police veteran father. Bousman has previously stated that the new film will rely less on violence and gore and will be more suspenseful, comparing it to David Fincher's psychological thriller Se7en.
Rock also serves as an executive producer and was heavily involved in the film's development. Original Saw creators James Wan and Leigh Whannell will also serve as executive producers on the film. Rock is best known for his lengthy career as a stand-up comedian, but recently he has been making a conscious effort to take on more serious dramatic roles. Along with his leading role in Spiral, Rock recently starred as crime boss Loy Cannon on the fourth season of the FX series Fargo, a performance for which he received generally positive reviews.
Spiral: From the Book of Saw was originally scheduled to be released in October of 2020 and was actually moved up to May of that year. The film was later delayed to May 21, 2021, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, with theatres slowly opening their doors again and vaccines rolling out, the release date has now once again been moved up to an earlier date.
Spiral: From the Book of Saw will be released in theatres on May 14th, 2021.
Source: Lionsgate | YouTube