Chris Rock is executive producer and the star of the crime horror film Spiral playing the role of a relentless detective. Are you here for it? Based on the murderous Saw franchise, a Jigsaw copycat is on the loose and it’s up to Ezekiel “Zeke” Banks (Rock) to capture the culprit before the serial killer hits too close to home.
In the official trailer, Samuel L. Jackson plays Marcus, the father of Banks and a retired police chief. The catch to this wild Lionsgate and Twisted Pictures film is that the Jigsaw copycat is targeting policemen — it’s going to be interesting to see how the pic plays out given the current social climate regarding police and the issues surrounding police brutality.
Here’s the synopsis:
A criminal mastermind unleashes a twisted form of justice in Spiral, the terrifying new chapter from the book of Saw. Working in the shadow of his father, 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.
Spiral is directed by Darren Lynn Bousman, who has history with the franchise as director of Saw II, Saw III, and Saw IV, and written by Jigsaw scribes Josh Stolberg and Pete Goldfinger. In addition to Rock, executive producers include Jason Constantine, Kevin Greutert, Daniel J. Heffner, Stacey Testro, James Wan, and Leigh Whannell.
The Saw franchise kicked off in 2004 with James Wan directing, Danny Glover starring as detective David Tapp and Tobin Bell playing Jigsaw. The film, which had a production budget of $1.2 million, opened at $18.3 million and grossed $104 million worldwide. Many sequels were created after the film’s success, including Saw II (2005), Saw III (2006), Saw IV (2007), Saw V (2008), Saw VI (2009), Saw: The Final Chapter (2010), and Jigsaw (2017).
The nearly billion-dollar franchise grossed an estimated total of $977 million , with the franchise peaking with Saw III at $164.9 million and the lowest performing sequel being Saw VI at $68.2 million. Factoring in the dire need for entertaining feature films amid the COVID-19 disruption, along with the ongoing debate about the criminal justice system, Spiral seems to be a highly anticipated film that people can’t wait to see.
Spiral releases in movie theaters on May 14.
