Spiral: From the Book of Saw (2021) is a horror film directed by Darren Lynn Bousman and written by Josh Stolberg and Peter Goldfinger, which will be released in 2021. It is the ninth film in the Saw franchise. Chris Rock, Max Minghella, Marisol Nichols, and Samuel L. Jackson appear in the thriller, which chronicles police attempts to apprehend a Jigsaw copycat murderer. Executive producers include the show's founders, James Wan and Leigh Whannell, as well as Rock and series veteran Kevin Greutert.After the success of Jigsaw in 2017, Chris Rock expressed interest in returning to the horror genre with a sequel to Saw. Jigsaw's directors, the Spierig Brothers, were considering returning for a sequel but ultimately decided against it. Rock is polishing a screenplay by Stolberg and Goldfinger, which was formally unveiled in May 2019. The remainder of the actors arrived in July, and shooting took place in Toronto in July and August.
When the COVID-19 epidemic delayed the release of Spiral, it was released theatrically in the United States on May 14, 2021, by Lionsgate Entertainment. Critics were split on whether or not the film was successful in reimagining the series, with some praising the new direction it had taken.
What happens in Spiral: From the Book of Saw?
Off-duty Detective Marv Bozwick pursues a burglar through a sewage drainage pipe during a Fourth of July parade. Bozwick wakes in an active subway tunnel, hanging by his tongue, after being attacked from behind by a person wearing a pig mask. He is offered an option through recorded message: cut out his tongue and survive, or stay until the next train comes, killing him. Bozwick gets murdered by the train after failing to escape the trap in time. The following day, Detective Zeke Banks is assigned a new partner, idealistic rookie William Schenk, by police Captain Angie Garza. Banks and Schenk examine Bozwick's death, and Banks notices similarities to the Jigsaw Killer's method of operation.
Meanwhile, a murder investigator called Fitch is kidnapped and put in a trap where he must pull his fingers off to prevent electrocution in a filling water basin; he too fails to escape and dies. Several years earlier, Fitch had rejected a backup call from Banks, almost killing him. Because of his relationship with Fitch, several police accuse Banks of being the perpetrator. A pig puppet and a piece of Schenk's tattooed flesh are then sent to the station in a package. A little vial inside the box points the cops to a butcher shop, which was formerly a hobby store frequented by Banks and his father, retired chief Marcus Banks. When the squad arrives, they find a recording recorder and Schenk's skinned body. Marcus goes to a warehouse to search out the murderer himself, but he gets kidnapped. Garza is abducted and held captive in the precinct's cold storage, where she must slash her spinal chord with a sword to prevent molten wax from dripping into her face through a pipe. As Banks finds her body, she fails to do so and succumbs to her injuries caused by the scorching hot wax.
While pursuing a lead, Banks is caught and awakens chained to a pipe with a hacksaw nearby. He contemplates chopping off his arm, but a bobby pin saves him. Banks finds Peter Dunleavy, his former colleague who was sacked and jailed after Banks disclosed a murder he committed, bound in place. A massive glass-crushing machine has been modified to fling shrapnel towards him. A recording tells Banks he may liberate him or let him die. Banks can't retrieve the key in time to rescue Dunleavy. Banks discovers Schenk in another chamber, who faked his own death by using the skinned body of the robber who lured Bozwick into the tunnels. He says that his last name is Emmerson, the son of Charlie Emmerson, who Dunleavy executed for testifying against a crooked officer. He also admits that Marcus supported corrupt policemen to clean the streets more effectively under Article 8.
Finally, Emmerson puts his trust in Banks by having him do one more test, which shows Marcus restrained and slowly losing blood in mid-air. SWAT is called in after Emmerson dialed 9-1-1 and said he was being chased by a gunman while telling the operator that he was just a citizen. When he delivers Banks the handgun with one bullet in it, he gives him the option to either fire a target that would save Marcus but enable Emmerson to escape, or kill Emmerson and let Marcus bleed to death. Saving his father, Banks shoots the target, allowing his bindings to be undone. He then engages Emmerson in combat. Banks shoots the target. Shortly later, the SWAT squad comes and mistakenly sets off a tripwire, forcing Marcus' chains to tug him upward once again. The movement shows a pistol attached to Marcus' arm, allowing the SWAT squad to mistake him for the gunman and murder him. As Emmerson flees, Banks cries in agony.
Who are the actors in Spiral: From the Book of Saw?
Detective Zeke Banks was acted by Chris Rock.
The character of Detective William Schenk / Emmerson was played by Max Minghella.
Young William was played by Leonidas Castrounis in the film adaptation. Jackson played Marcus Banks. Captain Angie Garza was played by Marisol Nichols in the film. Detective Marv Bozwick was acted by Daniel Petronijevic. Detective Fitch was played by Richard Zeppieri on screen. Peter Dunleavy was played by Patrick McManus.
Ali Johnson played Jeannie Lewis.
Kara Bozwick (Zoie Palmer) Dylan Roberts played the role of Sergeant Morgey Silva. Detective Drury was played by K. C. Collins.
Edie Inksetter played Deborah Kraus, a detective. Coroner Chada is played by Nazneen Contractor.
Thomas Mitchell starred as Detective Tim O'Brien in the series.
Chad Camilleri gave the performance of Benny Wrights. Speez was acted by Christopher Ramsay.
Charlie Emmerson was performed by Frank Licari. Lisa Banks is played by Genelle Williams. Officer Pat Jones was played by Trevor Gretzky.
Tobin Bell, who portrayed John Kramer/Jigsaw in all prior Saw films, did not return in Spiral (2021), making it the first in the series without him or the character appearing beyond photos. Bousman said the film's murderer is a Jigsaw copycat and not the original, so he won't replace Bell. Bell would return as Jigsaw if the plot explored Billy the Puppet's beginnings.
Chris Rock's participation in Spiral: From the Book of Saw (2021)
Chris Rock went to Lionsgate with his idea for Spiral: From the Book of Saw (2021) as a way to bring new life to the Saw series and to his own career.In an interview with Rolling Stone, Chris Rock reveals that he met Michael Burns, the vice chairman of Lionsgate, during a friend's wedding in Brazil, and that he decided to make a horror picture, even though he wanted to incorporate some humorous aspects. With the help of Lionsgate, Rock came up with the notion of expanding the series. This is a legendary horror series that has been revived by humor, creative vision, and passion from Rock, says Lionsgate's CEO Joe Drake. Rock's approach was totally respectful of the tradition of the material while reinvigorating the brand. Lionsgate was said to be in talks for a ninth Saw picture in January 2018, however the Spierig Brothers would not be involved. In an interview with Screen Rant, the filmmakers stated that their picture lays the groundwork for future sequels to the franchise. Twisted Pictures and Jigsaw authors Josh Stolberg and Peter Goldfinger began work on a sequel in April of last year.
Following the release of Jigsaw, Stolberg and Goldfinger were pitching a new Saw film to series veterans Mark Burg and Oren Koules, focusing solely on John Kramer / Jigsaw rather than any of his established apprentices, but Burg and Koules called the duo to inform them about Rock's ideas for a new film, with Rock contacting them shortly after to discuss his concept. Other writers had submitted their concepts for the upcoming Saw picture to Lionsgate before Rock came and integrated his with Stolberg and Goldfinger's. Burg and Koules gave the pair the task of creating a pitch for Rock. Stolberg and Goldfinger did just that, and their proposal was accepted by both Lionsgate and Rock, allowing them to compose their first draft, which was greenlit only a week after it was submitted. During the writing process, Rock assisted Stolberg and Goldfinger by reworking the tale as needed.
Rock's role was formerly linked to Danny Glover's David Tapp from the previous film in an early draft of the screenplay. Because it failed the smell test, Stolberg and Goldfinger decided not to pursue this path. Bousman said in May 2021 that talks are on regarding bringing Costas Mandylor back as Mark Hoffman in a future film. Bousman and the crew debated whether or not Tobin Bell should reprise his role as Jigsaw until the last day of production, but they decided that having Bell back would make the film seem like a continuation of the Saw series rather than a standalone picture, as it was intended. Because Jigsaw was killed off in the third picture, Bousman believed that previous films had done Jigsaw a disservice by utilizing flashbacks to bring him into the tale, and he didn't want to make the same error in Spiral: From the Book of Saw, nor disrespect Bell's legendary portrayal. Bousman contemplated having Bell perform a Johnny Cash song during the concluding scene of Spiral, but decided against it because he thought it was too gimmicky.
How come Tobin Bell wasn't in Spiral: From the Book of Saw (2021)?
Tobin Bell did not play Jigsaw again in Spiral: From the Book of Saw (2021), making it the first Saw movie in which Bell did not appear.
Stolberg stated in an interview with Bloody Disgusting that Jigsaw was never included in any draft of the screenplay for Spiral: From the Book of Saw (2021), despite discussions taking place even after the first test screening and throughout post-production. They felt that including Jigsaw would alter the foundation of the story they were trying to achieve, not intending to diminish the character but wanting to place the franchise in a new direction. Due to the timeline of the franchise, Stolberg and Goldfinger proposed at one point to have an after-credits sequence where John Kramer met a young Schenk after the murder of the latter's father and bonded with him, maybe giving him the puppet he later uses as the Spiral (2021) Ki.
This new Jigsaw copycat is different from the original in appearance, so it was decided to use a new puppet named Mr. Snuggles to replace Billy the Puppet. Bousman felt that if the original Jigsaw was changed, then a different puppet should also be used to ensure that the killer could not compare the two. Reusing the distinctive sound of Mr. Snuggles' voice for Mr. Snuggles was feared to raise doubts about the killers' relationship; an early draft of Jigsaw featured his voice, only to reveal a digitally altered version of his voice; and the story originally had all the speeches as actually being past recordings of Jigsaw's voice using words in a different order to show that the Spiral (2021) Killer had digitally rearranged the words. It was difficult for the producers to come up with a new voice for the murderer in lieu of Bell. Bousman auditioned a slew of female, kid, and male voices before deciding on the computer-simulated one. Only two days before the final sound mix was completed, the final voice was picked for inclusion in the film.
The making of Spiral: From the Book of Saw from behind the scenes
Pre-production officially began on May 16th, 2019. With Burg and Koules on board as producers, former series director Darren Lynn Bousman is set to return to the director's chair. Additionally, Rock served as executive producer and wrote the script proposal for the film.James Wan, Leigh Whannell, and Daniel Heffner, the original creators of Saw, have joined Rock as executive producers. As scriptwriters, Stolberg and Goldfinger were confirmed.
Rock said that he has liked the Saw movies since the first one came out in 2004. He was excited about the chance to take this to a new, very dark, and strange place.
Rock suggested Bousman direct a Broadway production when Bousman declined to direct Saw IV.
Rock's handling of Saw, according to Burg and Koules, was analogous to what Eddie Murphy did for buddy cop flicks in 48 Hrs., giving the Saw franchise an entirely new viewpoint. Similarly, Bousman stated that Spiral: From the Book of Saw contained less violence and gore than previous installments, expressing his belief that gore and violence were his gimmick when he first started working on the Saw films, but that both elements now serve the story, which focuses more on character, tension, and fear.
Stolberg also said that the ninth movie would be part of the same storyline as the first eight, and that it would not be a reboot or a direct sequel to Jigsaw.Alternatives for the roles in Spiral: From the Book of Saw (2021)
Rock has a starring role in the show as Detective Zeke Banks. Rock, Stolberg, and Goldfinger had conversations prior to writing the screenplay that led to the creation of the character. During these conversations, Rock was thinking about what he would do if he were the original Saw protagonist, Dr. Lawrence Gordon, and was forced to cut off his own foot. Eventually, the three of them came to the conclusion that it would be more interesting if Rock played a cop who was shunned by his fellow officers.
Samuel L. Jackson agreed to play Chief Marcus Banks because he was interested in the challenge of performing a situation he had never done before, such as the climactic scene in which his character is hung up like a marionette. In this scene, Samuel L. Jackson's character is also hung up like a marionette. Marisol Nichols was chosen to play Captain Angie Garza. The role of Captain Angie Garza was originally intended for a male actor, but the producers ultimately decided to cast Nichols in the part. Nichols, despite being a fan of the Saw franchise, decided to prepare for the role by watching David Fincher's Seven instead of the films in the franchise. After years of acting on stage, Patrick McManus came across the opportunity to pursue an acting career on film and television, and he auditioned for the role of Detective Marv Bozwick in the film. However, he was called back to play Peter Dunleavy, and Dan Petronijevic was cast in the role of Bozwick.
Max Minghella took on the role of William Schenk / The Spiral Killer because he yearned to star in a film with simple story-telling like the buddy cop films of his youth, such as 48 Hrs., and when he read the script, he felt that it was both that and a Saw film.
How was the experience of shooting Spiral (2021)?
On July 8, 2019, in Toronto, Ontario, under the working title of The Organ Donor, Jordan Oram served as cinematographer for the film. Rock, Jackson, Minghella, and Nichols were named as the stars of the picture. When asked whether Samuel L. Jackson and Chris Rock would make this picture stand out in the Saw canon, Lionsgate CEO Joe Drake said that he believed they would. He also mentioned that Max Minghella and Marisol Nichols would round out an impressive cast. In other words, this was Saw in hyperdrive. During filming, Rock revised and reworked the opening sequence for his role several times. Trap-related scenes were deleted from the film because they were too graphic, according to Bousman.
Filming officially ended on August 28, 2019. Dev Singh finished the editing during post-production.
Spiral: From the Book of Saw (2021)'s marketing strategy
The working title for the film was The Organ Donor until the name Spiral: From the Book of Saw and the Canadian distributor, Mongrel Media, were leaked to the press on January 22, 2020. Spiral (2021) was confirmed as the title of the film in the first teaser poster and trailer, which was published on February 5, 2020.
Spiral: From the Book of Saw in theaters and streaming
Spiral (2021) was initially set to be released on October 23, 2020, by Lionsgate Films in the United States. It was pushed ahead to May 15, 2020 in July 2019. Because to the COVID-19 pandemic, the film's release date has been pushed back to May 21, 2021, replacing John Wick: Chapter 4. As cinemas started to reopen, it was rescheduled for a week earlier release on May 14, 2021.
Lionsgate confirmed on May 25, 2021 that Spiral: From the Book of Saw (2021) would premiere exclusively on Starz in the United States on October 8, 2021. Spiral was available on PVOD in copyright on June 1, 2021.
What kind of score was assigned to Spiral: From the Book of Saw (2021)?
The Motion Picture Association gave the picture an NC-17 classification 11 times before ultimately deleting enough parts to achieve a R rating, according to Darren Lynn Bousman.
Spiral (2021) made how much money at the box office?
After earning $23.2 million in North America and $17.3 million elsewhere, Spiral: From the Book of Saw (2021) has now earned a total of $40.6 million throughout the globe as of March 3rd, 2022
In the US and copyright, Spiral came out at the same time as Those Who Wish Me Dead, Profile, and Finding You. It was expected to make $10–15 million in its first weekend from 2,811 theaters. The movie made $3.7 million on its first day, which includes $750,000 from previews on Thursday night. This is less than the $9 million that was expected. It went on to make $8.8 million in its first weekend, which was more than any other movie (and the sixth time in the series) but was the lowest opening weekend for the series. Most of the people in the audiences that were reported on were under the age of 35 and 56% were men. Positive responses were more common on the East Coast of the United States. It stayed in first place the next weekend, even though its sales dropped by 48 percent to $4.6 million.
What did critics say about the movie Spiral (2021)?
Film critics praised Spiral: From the Book of Saw for its attempts to change up the formula of the franchise, but ultimately said that it does not succeed in providing Saw with the significant boost it required to regain relevance.
On Rotten Tomatoes, 37% of 221 reviewers are favorable, averaging 5.1/10. Spiral (2021) promises a fresh approach for the Saw series, but the grisly whole is less than its pieces.
The film received mixed or mediocre reviews, according to Metacritic's weighted average of 33 reviewers.
CinemaScore rated the picture a B- on a scale of A+ to F, while PostTrak reported that 63 percent of audience members gave it a good rating, with 43 percent indicating they would definitely recommend it.
A film reviewer said the film had a few surprise twists, but for a thriller about police immorality, it's off-topic and bland.
A different film critic thought the script captured the grizzled cop movie tone and drew some memorable characters, but the storyline was rote, the mystery was frustratingly predictable, and the imaginative deaths were less imaginative than ever. For the sake of respectability, Spiral: From the Book of Saw made a trade-off in entertainment value, but it didn't quite succeed.
The screenplay of Spiral (2021) was criticized by a number of film critics for failing to adequately convey the potential conflicts that could arise between the father-and-son relationship of the film's main characters. However, many film critics agreed that Spiral (2021) was a legitimately scary detective thriller, despite having an uneven pace.
Some movie critics liked the acting and the simple but interesting premise of Spiral. However, they said that the voice of the mysterious killer sounded like Kermit the Frog, and they said that this movie's real audience wouldn't be able to handle the screams and blood. They're the main attraction.
A movie critic gave the movie one out of five stars and wrote that the ending was rushed, half-assed, stupidly written, and, worst of all, getting more and more boring. He said "game over" at the end of his review.
According to another film reviewer, "It's simply unreadable" because it lacks suspense, narrative, or movement in the storyline; he stated it disappointed him because of the high acclaim for the performers he'd given it.
A second film reviewer appreciated the opening sequence but concluded that it was the film's sole redeeming feature, stating that the idea is at best dishonest and at worst fear mongering. This film, like one of Jigsaw's simple puzzles, is not as brilliant as it thinks it is.
Spiral is a sequel that intends to attract Saw enthusiasts and mainstream viewers both, but Spiral: From the Book of Saw: From the Book of Saw is likely to turn them both away, therefore one film reviewer rated the movie just three out of ten possible points and gave it a score of three. It is a poor facsimile of the series since it is unable to live up to even its most fundamental requirements in terms of presentation and story. It is also a lousy picture in general, and it attempts to present a narrative that is socially important but it isn't able to manage it very well. In addition, he critiqued the movie for its lack of connection to the Saw franchise. He said that Spiral is "barely" a Saw movie since it only delivers momentarily on the "visceral pleasure of mutilation" and does not adhere to any of the other concepts of the Saw series. Additionally, it is the most artless and tactless form of what it plays like instead, which is an unaired pilot episode for a generic police procedural.
Decker Shado weighed in on the Spiral: From the Book of Saw debate. It's Spiral: From the Book of Saw (2021), the next Saw film from Chris Rock and the Book of Saw, which will be released in late 2021. A murderer on the prowl is testing his victims with mechanical contraptions that are as frightening as they are brilliant. After a whole Summer of Saw, you should be familiar with the plot. At least, that's the gist of it. Several traps have a lot to live up to, as well as the methods and the objective of the traps. You may learn more about it in his video.
A film reviewer remarked it's not a waste of a notion. No, the franchise doesn't require a reboot. Rock's presence gives fresh blood to Spiral, but after a promising start, the picture merely becomes an alright Saw movie with larger stars than usual. Its jaundiced lighting and procedural narrative evoke David Fincher's Se7en more than anything. Whether the game was to determine if a new approach on a long-running series could withstand sequels, it was lost.
A film reviewer panned the picture, claiming that Spiral: From the Book of Saw (2021) stumbles over its fundamental enigma without elegance, flair, or even much thinking. Even the death traps seem uninspired. He recognized the picture's promise, adding that the most frustrating aspect of Spiral (2021) is that a better, wiser film lies behind all the foolishness. There are much too many short cuts and fast-paced situations. The awful speech that is blasted at full volume is annoying. Spiral is ultimately a picture about corrupt, even deadly officers suddenly facing a reckoning, and that kind of material has the potential to be both subversive and current for a Hollywood film, but Spiral: From the Book of Saw is almost irritating in how little it appears to care about any of this. It merely wants to bleed a large amount of blood, which it does.
Will Spiral: From the Book of Saw (2021) be followed by a sequel?
Twisted Pictures confirmed a sequel, Saw X, in April 2021. Bousman said the announcement shocked him and the film's producers. Just because they made Spiral (2021) doesn't mean the Saw series is over. Even though Spiral: From the Book of Saw (2021) is out, Saw IX may still happen. It's not the ninth Saw movie. Next to Jigsaw could be Saw IX. They're waiting to see how Spiral: From the Book of Saw does and how audiences react to decide what comes next. Josh Stolberg confirmed the script was finished that year.
Will Spiral (2021) be the subject of a television series?
Kevin Beggs, chairman of Lionsgate TV, told Deadline Hollywood in April 2021 that the company is in early talks to develop a Spiral TV series with Mark Burg and Oren Koules' Twisted Television productions.