Spiral 2 - Will It Ever Happen?
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Like many a slasher villain, the "Saw" franchise kept a low profile for years before rising to get its bloody revenge. "Jigsaw" was released in 2017, but after the eighth film in the franchise hit theaters, the series went quiet ... until "Spiral: From the Book of Saw" started setting some terrifying traps for audiences.
In this 2021 horror film, a new killer is on the loose, with Chris Rock's Detective Zeke Banks desperately trying to take him down. Granted, the film wasn't a huge success at the box office, and it was ripped apart by critics. However, the "Saw" faithful seemed to enjoy the new flick, and the film's ending left room for further bloody installments.
With fans holding out hopes for a "Spiral 2," it's time to ask the big question — will a "Spiral" sequel ever happen? Will Zeke Banks ever get revenge against the man who tore his life to shreds? Read on for what we know so far about a potential "Spiral 2."
What does the director have to say about Spiral 2?
A few months before "Spiral" hit theaters in 2021, it was announced that "Saw X" was in the works, which implied that "Spiral" was the ninth "Saw" film and not the beginning of some sort of a spin-off series. However, "Spiral" director Darren Lynn Bousman — who'd previously directed "Saw II," "Saw III," and "Saw IV" — downplayed the possibility of a tenth film and made it clear he didn't consider "Spiral" to be the ninth "Saw" movie.
Speaking to The Au Review in May 2021, Bousman said about "Saw X," "That got announced prematurely. We were all surprised, including the producer. What I will say is that just because we made 'Spiral' doesn't mean 'Saw' ceases to exist. Just because 'Spiral' is here, that doesn't mean there won't be a 'Saw 9.' This is not the ninth film in the 'Saw' franchise. There easily could be a 'Saw 9' that follows 'Jigsaw.' I think they're waiting to see how ['Spiral'] goes and how audiences respond to determine what happens next."
So that clears everything up, right? "Spiral" is its own thing, it isn't considered "Saw 9," and it might be getting its own sequel? Well, not so fast...
Why isn't Spiral 2 happening yet?
Despite Darren Lynn Bousman saying the announcement of "Saw X" was premature, there is indeed a new "Saw" movie titled — yep, you guessed it — "Saw X." Released in 2023, the movie is a prequel set in between the first two "Saw" films, where a dying John Kramer (Tobin Bell) takes revenge on a group of medical scam artists.
So if there is a tenth "Saw," that means there has to be a "Saw 9" ... which means that's how studio executives are viewing "Spiral," despite what Bousman said about his movie not being the ninth entry in the franchise proper. It also appears that "Saw X" isn't connected to "Spiral" at all, other than the fact it's set in the same world and has the same screenwriters in Josh Stolberg and Peter Goldfinger. It doesn't involve Chris Rock and isn't focused on Max Minghella's diabolical killer. In other words, instead of launching its own spinoff series, "Spiral: From the Book of Saw" is now just "Saw 9."
As for why the franchise decided to pivot from the "Spiral" storyline, it's possibly due to the fact that "Spiral" is currently the lowest-grossing movie in the entire franchise. Granted, it came out in 2021 — a very weird time for theaters. Still, it was outgrossed by other horror movies like "Halloween Kills," "Don't Breathe 2," and "The Forever Purge." It was even beaten by films you wouldn't think could outgross a mainstream horror title, a la Wes Anderson's "The French Dispatch" and Ridley Scott's "House of Gucci." With a reported budget of $20 million, a $40 million cume ain't the kind of return that inspires further investment.
Does Chris Rock want a Spiral 2?
While things do seem grim for "Spiral 2," we shouldn't give up hope or lop off any limbs just yet. After all, Chris Rock seems pretty keen on playing Zeke Banks in the future. Rock was a huge part of "Spiral." Not only did he star, he came up with the whole idea. Rock is a huge "Saw" fan, and he's the one who convinced Lionsgate to inject the series with gallons and gallons of fresh blood.
So it seems his opinion on the future of the "Spiral" movies would be pretty important, and he's very invested in what happens next. In May 2021, the comedian/actor spoke to Radio Times about his freaky flick, saying, "I hope this movie is like 'Creed,' in the sense that 'Creed' is technically like 'Rocky 7.' So, hopefully there's more 'Spirals,' and hopefully I'm in more 'Spirals.' But we'll see. We'll see if people like it." Max Minghella, who played the film's killer, also expressed interest in coming back, telling ComingSoon.net in July 2021, "For sure, if there was an appetite for us to come back. I think we both love to do another one."
So will Chris Rock's dreams of more "Spiral" movies come true? While the film's box office numbers say no, there's still reason to believe. In February 2023, "Spiral" and "Saw X" screenwriter Josh Stolberg took to Twitter to wish Chris Rock a happy birthday. His tweet was accompanied by a behind-the-scenes image of Rock on the "Spiral" set, and his message read, "I can't wait for the next one! Team @Saw!" Was Stolberg just being wishful? Or does he know something we don't? We can only keep our fingers crossed and hope a "Spiral" sequel doesn't fall prey to a dastardly Hollywood trap.
Where to watch Spiral
Do you want to play a game? Or would you rather watch Chris Rock try to stop a sadistic serial killer? While you wait and wait for a possible "Spiral" sequel, it might be a good time to revisit the film that — with hindsight — appears to be the ninth film in the "Saw" series. If you want to see Rock's Detective Zeke Banks get drawn into a twisted game when someone starts putting cops in life-or-death traps (and also see Samuel L. Jackson show up in the franchise), you can stream "Spiral" on Hulu or rent it on sites like Google Play, Prime Video, YouTube, and Vudu.