Many eyebrows were raised when it was announced that comedian Chris Rock would be joining the gory slasher-thriller franchiseSawin spinoff filmSpiral: From the Book of Saw. In an interview, the director of the movie, Darren Lynn Bousman, explained how Chris Rock was instrumental in getting him back to make aSawmovie after he famously announced he was done with the franchise following a mixed reception toSaw 4.
“I guess I’ve learned to never say never because when I was presented with the idea and heard Chris' take on it, I was like, ‘Shit, that’s good. They were like, ‘Yeah,’ so I signed up immediately. I’m just excited, it’s really a unique take and a way to kind of relaunch the franchise while still paying massive homage to what came before it.”
It was a pleasant surprise for fans to seeChris Rockin a serious role in the trailer forSpiral: From the Book of Saw, where he plays the role of a detective investigating a series of gruesome murders committed in the vein of the infamous Jigsaw killer. While Rock’s background in comedy might be thought to clash with the sensibilities of aSawmovie, Bousman has nothing but praise for the way the actor conducted himself during filming.
“I think there were two times on set that he pulled me aside and said, ‘Hey, am I overstepping or can I give you a suggestion?’. Both times he did it, he improved the scene and scenario 100 fold and that was kind of awesome and then on top of that, he would back me on a lot of things. There would obviously be creative disagreements with the producers and myself and Chris, 95 percent of the time, would listen to my idea and be like, ‘No, that’s dope, what he’s talking about is cool.’ Chris and I bonded almost immediately and he was an awesome collaborator on the process.”
WhileSpiraltakes place in the same reality as theJigsaw killer, the upcoming movie is not a direct sequel. That means it can shed the load of having to reference old characters and plotlines, and can instead take the best parts of theSawseries to create a fresh narrative. The fact that the movie was Rock’s idea, and it was intriguing enough to getDarren Lynn Bousmanback in the director’s chair meansSpiralis aiming to be more than an attempt to cash in on the popularity of the world ofSaw.
With more and more horror films relying on ‘psychological’ horror or CGI to get their scares,Spiral: From the Book of Sawstands out from the crowd by once again making a series of grisly traps and ‘body horror’ executions the center of the narrative. Hopefully, fans will be able to see the film without any more release delays.
Directed by Darren Lynn Bousman, starring Chris Rock, Max Minghella, Marisol Nichols, and Samuel L. Jackson,Spiral: From the Book of Sawis duein theaters on June 09, 2025. This news comes fromComingSoon.
