Samuel L. Jackson and Chris Rock are in for a world of hurt in Spiral: From the Book of Saw, the ninth chapter in the Jigsaw saga. This latest sequel, which is technically Saw 9, is changing the franchise slightly while keeping the same aesthetic and even the same director from Saw II, Saw III, and Saw IV, with Darren Lynn Bousman at the helm.
The first footage from Saw 9 is ominous and dark, laced with a brittle layer of humor as promised by Chris Rock. Things go South when it is discovered that cops are being targeted this time out. Who is behind these killings? Chris Rock's Detective Ezekiel "Zeke" Banks is about to find out, as we see him chained up, his only means of escape is to saw one of his own limbs off, in a direct nod to the original Saw, which arrived in theaters as a blockbuster horror phenomenon.
Today, Lionsgate officially launched the first teaser trailer and poster for Saw 9. It was rumored weeks ago to be titled Spiral: From the Book of Saw, but many believed this to be a fake title. As we can see, Lionsgate has confirmed it's very real, and hints that the movie may be moving away from the iconic Jigsaw killer played by Tobin Bell. So far, he has not been revealed to star in the movie. Here is the official synopsis. Most people are going to continue to call this Saw 9, but it's clear that Lionsgate wants to carve out a rebooted franchise under the new calling card Spiral, which loops back into the blood red spirals that have been present since the very beginning of this franchise. The idea comes from Chris Rock, who headlines the horror alongside an impressive cast of newcomers that includes Samuel L. Jackson as Chris Rock's onscreen father. Also appearing in this next chapter of the Jigsaw saga are Max Minghella and Marisol Nichols. At this time, it is being kept a secret if any familiar faces from sequels past will pop up, but previous Saw movies have liked to drop that type of surprise on the audience.
The first Spiral trailer isn't a laughing matter. For the most part, the material is handled quite seriously. About injecting some humor into this traditional horror franchise, Chris Rock had this to say about moving away from such a bleak landscape while keeping the original tone intact. Darren Lynn Bousman is back for his fourth Saw film, and he perhaps knows this world better than anyone. You can check out the Spiral trailer direct from Lionsgate, and we have the first poster from the studio as well, which we've included below.
