Last Updated: May 28, 2020
Actor and comedian Chris Rock will be bringing Saw back to life with a reboot in 2021. This will be the first Saw film since 2017's Jigsaw. To date, eight feature-length films and one short film make up the Saw franchise.
Originally the brainchild of writer-directors James Wan and Leigh Whannell, the Saw franchise follows the grisly, graphic murders of a serial killer known as Jigsaw and the intense investigation to hunt and capture him. In a statement to Variety announcing the planned reboot to the franchise and his involvement in it, Rock said, "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." This new installment will breathe new life into the franchise, which enjoyed massive success during the early 2000s but saw declining interest from audiences the deeper it got into its story and lore with every installment.
Rock's Saw reboot is now officially titled Spiral: From the Book of Saw - which doesn't give much away as to what viewers can expect from the forthcoming film. Here are all the other details we know about the ninth Saw film so far.
Spiral: From the Book of Saw, Chris Rock's Saw reboot, has had trouble nailing down a release date. The film was originally slated for October 23, 2020, then later moved forward to May 15, 2020, due to what many believe was fear of facing off with Halloween Kills at the box office. Unfortunately, Saw 9 became one of the many summer 2020 to lose its release date due to the Coronavirus pandemic, and is now set for release on May 21, 2021.
Rock was a central figure in the Saw reboot's development and production, which wrapped on August 28, 2019. The comedic actor, who's already taking a big, exciting risk by moving into horror, also has "story by" and executive producer credits on Spiral. Rock will play the film's lead, Zeke, a detective who's investigating a string of gory murders. There's nothing quite like this leading role in a Saw reboot in Rock's 30-plus year career. He's done serious or, at minimum, straighter, less blatantly comedic roles in the past, such as 1991's New Jack City or 2014's Top Five. But horror is totally new territory for Rock, who's said Saw 9 will feature some comedy, but still focus on giving franchise fans what they want. It would definitely be interesting to see Rock commit to playing Zeke completely straight - a big switch to help usher in a new era of Saw.
It's still unclear whether the Saw reboot will have any firm connections to the rest of the franchise, outside of taking place later on in the same universe. Of course, there's a connection in the shared Saw name, but its place in the overall continuity isn't confirmed. There's also no word on if the original Jigsaw character, John Kramer, is set to return, although considering how stretched out his post-death plans already were, that may not be the best route.
So far, no actors from the original franchise have been linked to the Saw reboot, not even Tobin "Jigsaw" Bell. This will clear a path for an entirely new lineup to enter into this grisly, terrifying world. In addition to Chris Rock, Samuel L. Jackson, Max Minghella (The Social Network), Marisol Nichols (Riverdale), Morgan David Jones (Supernatural) Frank Licari (Blue Bloods), and John Tokatlidis (Assassins Creed Odyssey) have all been added to the Saw reboot cast. Jackson will play Marcus, the father of Rock's character. Minghella plays William Schenk, Zeke's partner, and Licari his brother, Charlie. Nichols will play Captain Angie Garcia, the head honcho overseeing Zeke and William's investigation. Jones plays Officer Barrett and Tokatlidis is a man named Burns, although nothing is known about their positions in the plot.
The Saw reboot has secured Darren Lynn Bousman to direct. In the past, Bousman directed three Saw films: Saw II (2005), Saw III (2006), and Saw IV (2007). Additionally, Bousman co-wrote the Saw II script with Leigh Whannell. Bousman's proximity to the Saw franchise makes him arguably the best choice to take on a new Saw film. He's been so integral to their continued success already and understands what it will take to make a new installment worthy of being added into the Saw canon. It also doesn't hurt that Bousman is a seasoned horror director away from Billy the Puppet, having directed films like Repo! The Genetic Opera and a remake of the classic chiller Mother's Day throughout his 20-year career.
The story of the Saw reboot primarily follow Chris Rock's character, Zeke, as he investigates a string of Jigsaw-like murders targeting cops. That's somewhat similar to the original movie, which stayed (for the most part) in one room where two men, Lawrence (Cary Elwes) and Adam (Leigh Whannell) were trapped and forced to find a way to free themselves, while Detective David Tapp (Danny Glover) tried to find the men as well as the killer. Beyond that, the contents of the script - written by Jigsaw's Pete Goldfinger and Josh Stolberg - are largely unknown.
The first trailer for Spiral: From the Book of Saw was released on February 5, 2020. It shows off Rock's lead performance, which does seem to be played straight so far. With the Saw reboot currently being without a release date though, one wonders when fans will finally get more footage to look at. At least the movie managed to fit in Sam Jackson saying "mother****er," something always appreciated.
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