The trailer for Spiral: From the Book of Saw leaves any connection to the original movies unclear, but the synopsis confirms that they won’t be retconned. Ever since it was announced last year that Lionsgate was teaming up with superstar comedian Chris Rock to produce a ninth entry into the storied Saw franchise, diehard fans haven’t really been sure what to expect. Some worried that Rock might take Saw into a too comedic direction, but at least based on the trailer, that doesn’t seem to be the case.
This fits with comments Rock made about the project in recent interviews, saying that while there would be some humor included, his Saw movie would still very much be a Saw movie. For his part, Rock is a noted fan of the Saw franchise, as was mentioned when he first came aboard to star in and executive produce the new film, the script for which was based on a story idea Rock had.
That all said, after watching the first trailer for Spiral: From the Book of Saw, many fans were left understandably wondering just how exactly this movie fits into the established Saw continuity. After all, there’s no mention of Jigsaw, and no prior characters appear. However, along with the trailer and poster, an official synopsis was released that confirms Spiral takes place in the same reality as prior Saw films.
Spiral Connection To Original Saw Movies Confirmed By Synopsis
A sadistic mastermind unleashes a twisted form of justice in SPIRAL, the terrifying new chapter from the book of SAW. Working in the shadow of an esteemed police veteran (Samuel L. Jackson), brash Detective Ezekiel “Zeke” Banks (Chris Rock) and his rookie partner (Max Minghella) take charge of a grisly investigation into murders that are eerily reminiscent of the city’s gruesome past. Unwittingly entrapped in a deepening mystery, Zeke finds himself at the center of the killer’s morbid game.
While that synopsis certainly doesn’t tell us much yet about exactly how tied into the eight prior Saw movies that Spiral: From the Book of Saw will be, it does at least make clear via the part about a “grisly investigation into murders that are eerily reminiscent of the city’s gruesome past” that this is set after Jigsaw’s previous games. Of course, the fact that Rock’s character Zeke is seen at the end handcuffed to a pipe with a large saw in his hand is also certainly a visual reference to the original Saw film, but not necessarily confirmation in and of itself that Spiral wasn’t a continuity reboot.
With John “Jigsaw” Kramer now long dead – the Saw series took place over a pretty compressed time frame, despite the number of movies – it’ll be interesting to see if the villain here turns out to be yet another of Jigsaw’s previously unknown disciples. At this point, it would make more sense for the person pulling the strings in Spiral: From the Book of Saw to be someone inspired by but unrelated to Jigsaw’s games, as the amount of Jigsaw apprentices already long since passed the point of being dramatically credible.
Key Release Dates
Spiral: From the Book of Saw
Release Date:2021-05-14
