Darren Lynn Bousman says that his passion for the Saw franchise has been rejuvenated while working on Spiral: From the Book of Saw, and he thinks it’s possible that this movie, which sees Jigsaw completely uninvolved and a copycat killer taking his concept in a different direction, could set up the kind of shared universe of Saw stories that every studio has been chasing since the Marvel Cinematic Universe became Hollywood’s biggest success in years. On top of that, he suggested that should the series continue to make new installments, it seems likely that you’ll see a return of original antagonist Tobin Bell, who played Jigsaw.
Spiral topped a relatively anemic box office this weekend, but the pandemic setting and uneven distribution of open theaters makes it difficult to know what kind of performance studios expect from their current releases. It is one of only a small number of major releases in the last year not to get a simultaneous digital release, which likely means it will be a while before we have a true sense for how appealing the franchise is. Between those who are still concerned about COVID-19, and those who simply have gotten used to the convenience of movies at home, it’s likely studios are going to wait until they have seen both box office and home entertainment returns before making any decisions for the time being.
“I have found a renewed interest in the Saw universe,” Bousman said in a podcast interview on Bloody Disgusting. “I thought that it was played out, and I had done everything I could. Getting a chance to work with people like Chris Rock and Samuel L. Jackson has kind of reinvigorated my love for these type of stories and what can be done with them….So I think there’s a lot more to tell and a lot more I’d want to tell. Just because Spiral exists does not mean there will never be a Saw 9. This is a diversion….This is a different path. You’re not done seeing Tobin Bell at all. What I think will happen, if this is successful, is you’ll see Spiral 2, and then you’ll see Saw 9. And then you’ll see Spiral 3, you’ll see Saw 10. You might see a TV series. So I think you’ll be seeing the MarvelVerse of the Saw franchise, where there are different storylines taking place. And I think that that’s what it’s going to be. It’ll exist in the same universe, and there will be different storylines taking place.”
Spiral: From the Book of Saw, is now in theaters.