Chris Rock's Spiral Hasn't Arrived, But Is Another Saw Movie Already On The Way?

Chris Rock as Detective Zeke Banks in Spiral: From the Book of Saw
(Image credit: (Lionsgate))

We’re about a month out from the first Saw film in four years, Spiral: From The Book Of Saw. The early summer release will see director of Saw II-IV, Darren Lynn Bousman, return to put his mark on a new chapter for the franchise starring Chris Rock and Samuel L. Jackson. Optimism must be high for Spiral, because rumor has it that Sax X is already in active development from Twisted Pictures.

A franchise reaching its ten installment is a huge deal, and hey, why stop at nine before hitting double digits? Ahead of Spiral: From The Book of Saw’s theatrical release, an issue of Production Weekly lists Saw X as a project that is currently in the works, and horror source Bloody Disgusting claims that it can confirm Saw X is already happening.

Following these rumors, there is still going to be a major factor at play: how Spiral does when it's released. If Saw X is, in fact, in active development, it could just as easily be pulled from development if the Lionsgate film does not make a splash with audiences this May. But for the time being, it sounds like Twisted Pictures could be getting a head start and leaning on the side of success, which will surely have a lot of people looking forward to Spiral: From The Book of Saw even more!

The Saw franchise has made $874 million worldwide altogether, often on shoestring budgets. The original film made $100 million worldwide on a production budget of $1.2 million, and the most recent franchise installment, Jigsaw, took home $102 million off a $10 million budget. It’s always been a profitable franchise, and time will tell how the $20 million project goes when it helps kick off the first summer box office season since the pandemic.

The upcoming film stars Chris Rock and Max Minghella as detectives who are investigating murders that are reminiscent of the Jigsaw Killer, who has since died in the franchise. The investigation is thought to be a copycat of John Kramer’s games, but of course we’ll get some real answers once Spiral hits theaters. Check out the trailer:

Could Spiral: From the Book of Saw be intended as a two-film arc? Or would Saw X be something different from the story that will be told in Spiral? A tenth film in a series definitely has the potential to be a true finale, but if Spiral finds a way to extend the life of the franchise past that, then I'm game for a new Saw era to match the current hunger for horror.

Spiral: From the Book of Saw is coming to theaters on May 14. Check out what other movies to get excited about this year with our 2021 movie release schedule here on CinemaBlend.

Sarah El-Mahmoud
Staff Writer

Sarah El-Mahmoud has been with CinemaBlend since 2018 after graduating from Cal State Fullerton with a degree in Journalism. In college, she was the Managing Editor of the award-winning college paper, The Daily Titan, where she specialized in writing/editing long-form features, profiles and arts & entertainment coverage, including her first run-in with movie reporting, with a phone interview with Guillermo del Toro for Best Picture winner, The Shape of Water. Now she's into covering YA television and movies, and plenty of horror. Word webslinger. All her writing should be read in Sarah Connor’s Terminator 2 voice over.