“Spiral” is a horror film that serves as the ninth installment in the “Saw” franchise and a new take on the popular material.
So let’s dive into some trivia and facts about the new “Saw” film.
- Spiral is a 2021 American horror film
- It is also known as Spiral: From the Book of Saw
- The film serves as the ninth installment in the Saw film series
- It is directed by Darren Lynn Bousman
- This is his fourth film of the series
- Spiral is written by Josh Stolberg and Peter Goldfinger
- The film stars Chris Rock, Max Minghella, Marisol Nichols, and Samuel L. Jackson
- It follows police efforts to stop a Jigsaw copycat killer
- The original creators of the series, James Wan and Leigh Whannell, serve as executive producers alongside Rock
- Talks of another Saw installment began after the release of “Jigsaw” in 2017, with Chris Rock wanting to branch out into the horror genre
- The Spierig Brothers, who directed “Jigsaw”, were interested in returning for another film but eventually decided against it
- The project was officially announced in May 2019
- Rock polished a script by Stolberg and Goldfinger
- The rest of the cast joined in July
- Film took place in Toronto through August
- The film was originally scheduled to be released in May 2020
- Spiral was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic
- It was theatrically released in the United States on May 14, 2021, by Lionsgate
- The film received mixed reviews from critics
- Many praised the franchise’s new direction
- They were divided on whether it had fully succeeded in reinventing it
- According to Chris Rock, the origins of Spiral came from a chance meeting with the vice chairman of Lionsgate, Michael Burns, at a friend’s wedding in Brazil, and he felt doing something in the horror genre would be a new avenue to take in his career, though he planned to include some comedic elements in the film
- Rock approached Lionsgate with his ideas of extending the franchise, who became very interested in the concept
- Lionsgate’s CEO Joe Drake said that Rock’s idea was “completely reverential to the legacy of the material while reinvigorating the brand with his wit, creative vision and passion for this classic horror franchise”
- By January 2018, industry rumors had said that Lionsgate had begun discussions of a ninth Saw film, for which the Spierig Brothers would not be returning
- The directors confirmed in an interview with Screen Rant that their film laid the ground work for future sequels
- By April 2018, Twisted Pictures was developing a sequel with Jigsaw writers Josh Stolberg and Peter Goldfinger
- An early iteration of the script had Rock’s character related to Danny Glover’s David Tapp from the first film
- Stolberg and Goldfinger opted not to go in this direction as it “didn’t pass the smell test”
- On May 16, 2019, the film was officially in pre-production
- Former series director Darren Lynn Bousman returned to helm the film
- Along with series veterans Mark Burg and Oren Koules as producers
- Rock was involved as an executive producer, in addition to writing the story treatment
- The original Saw creators James Wan and Leigh Whannell, along with Daniel Heffner, joined Rock as executive producers
- Stolberg and Goldfinger were confirmed as scriptwriters
- With the announcement, Rock stated, “I’ve been a fan of Saw since the first film in 2004. I am excited by the opportunity to take this to a really intense and twisted new place”
- Burg and Koules said that Rock’s treatment of Saw was comparable to what Eddie Murphy had done for buddy cop films in 48 Hrs., giving the Saw series a “completely fresh perspective”
- Likewise, Bousman stated that in comparison to previous entries, Spiral included less violence and gore, expressing the conviction that the gore and violence were the gimmick for him back when he started working in the Saw films
- Both elements now serve the story, which focuses more on character, tension and fea
- As the film’s killer is a Jigsaw copycat who differentiates from the original, it was decided to replace Billy the Puppet with a new puppet
- As Bousman felt that if the original Jigsaw is replaced, the original puppet should go and be replaced with a new one so the new killer can’t be compared
- Stolberg also confirmed that the ninth installment would exist in the same canon as the previous eight films
- It, also, would not be a reboot or a direct sequel to “Jigsaw”
- On July 8, 2019, principal photography commenced in Toronto, Ontario, under the working title of The Organ Donor, with cinematographer Jordan Oram
- Rock, Samuel L. Jackson, Max Minghella, and Marisol Nichols were announced to be starring in the film
- Lionsgate’s CEO Joe Drake stated, “We think Samuel L. Jackson and Chris Rock along with Max Minghella and Marisol Nichols make this film completely special in the Saw canon and we can’t wait to unleash this unexpected and sinister new story on fans of this franchise. This is next level of Saw on full tilt”
- According to Bousman, a scene featuring a trap had to be cut from the film due to it being “too gnarly”
- On August 28, 2019, filming officially wrapped up
- During post-production, editing was completed by Dev Singh
- Spiral was released in the United States on May 14, 2021, by Lionsgate
- The film was originally scheduled to be released on October 23, 2020, but was moved up to May 15, 2020
- As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the film’s release was later delayed to May 21, 2021, taking the spot previously scheduled for John Wick: Chapter 4
- It was later pushed up to May 14, 2021, as theaters began reopening
- The film was known under the working title The Organ Donor, until the name Spiral was leaked to the press on January 22, 2020, along with Mongrel Media as the Canadian distributor
- The first teaser poster and trailer, released on February 5, 2020
- These confirmed Spiral as the title of the film
- In the United States and Canada, Spiral was released alongside Those Who Wish Me Dead
- It is projected to gross $11 to 13 million in its opening weekend
- Critics praised Spiral’s “attempts at changing up the franchise formula” but said it “ultimately falls short of giving Saw the major boost it needed to regain relevance”
- On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a 40% rating
- Based on 138 reviews
- With an average rating of 5.2/10
- The site’s critical consensus reads “Spiral: From the Book of Saw suggests an interesting new direction for the Saw franchise, even if the gory sum is rather less than its parts”
- According to the review aggregator Metacritic, it has a weighted average of 39 out of 100
- Based on 29 reviews
- Spiral received “generally unfavorable reviews” on Metacritic
- In April 2021, a sequel film, titled Saw X, was confirmed to be in development with Twisted Pictures
- However, Bousman stated that it was a premature announcement that surprised him and the film’s producers
- He said, “Just because we made Spiral doesn’t mean Saw ceases to exist. Just because Spiral is here, that doesn’t mean there won’t be a Saw IX. This is not the ninth film in the Saw franchise. There easily could be a Saw IX that follows Jigsaw. I think they’re waiting to see how Spiral goes and how audiences respond to determine what happens next”
- In an April 2021 interview with Deadline Hollywood, Lionsgate Television chairman Kevin Beggs announced that Lionsgate TV is in early talks to develop a television series based on Spiral, alongside Mark Burg and Oren Koules’ Twisted Television productions
Got anything to add?