Chris Rock's soft reboot of the Saw franchise, whose title is Spiral, hinges on a plot about a sadistic cop killer
Want to play another game? Though the Saw franchise eventually ran out of steam after an almost two decade-long run that consisted of eight movies and more than $1 billion in box office returns, last year's announcement that Chris Rock – yes, that Chris Rock – had been handed the keys to the franchise was enough to inspire, at the very least, a curious tilt of the head.
Well, the resulting film, named Spiral, executive produced by and starring Rock, just unveiled its first teaser trailer. With a story that hones in on two cops, played by Rock and actor Max Minghella, as they investigate the gruesome murders of their fellow officers, the grimy aesthetic resembles the Saw franchise we know and (sometimes) love in a number of ways.
In other ways, not so much. Take the appearance of Samuel L. Jackson, for instance, who turns up here to curse his way through the entire teaser, spouting lines like, “This shit's gonna go sideways fast.” You have to wonder how seriously we're meant to take this soft reboot.
Casting Jackson was an undeniably clever move, though. It's going to be hard for audiences to resist a movie in which Nick Fury, on the hunt for the crazed mastermind behind a new array of deathly traps, says, “You wanna play games, motherfucker?” Talk about your self-aware sequels.
Spiral will be released in cinemas on May 15, 2020.
