Spiral Movie Could Inspire MCU-Style Saw Franchise Says Director

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The release of Spiral: From the Book of Saw has breathed some new life into the Saw franchise, and director Darren Bousman says it could be the start of an MCU-style cinematic universe. Spiral stars Chris Rock and Samuel L. Jackson in a horrifying story in the style of, but separate from, the Saw movies of the past. The film currently holds a dismal 38% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes (18% among “Top Critics”), but some have praised Spiral for attempting to tell a different kind of Saw story.

When the original Saw was released in 2004, it instantly became one of the biggest names in the horror genre. The film grossed over $100 million on a reported budget of just $1.2 million, spawning a box office behemoth of a franchise released in theaters annually for years. Over time, the low-budget body horror and nihilistic serial killer storylines began to lose their appeal with the audience, and the franchise faded into an extended hiatus. 2017’s Jigsaw sought to revive the franchise, but it failed to inspire much new excitement.

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RELATED: When Spiral Fits Into The Saw Timeline

Spiral has brought some more significant change to the old Saw formula, and the result is a film that, according to director Darren Bousman, could be the start of a new cinematic universe. In a recent interview with Bloody Disgusting, Bousman discussed his hopes for future Saw projects and where he sees the franchise going in the future. “There’s a lot more to tell and a lot more I’d want to tell,” Bousman said before opening up about the possibility of an expansive Saw universe.

“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.”

Rumors of both a tenth Saw film and a TV series have circulated for years, and both could certainly become realities down the line. Part of the franchise’s appeal from a business standpoint has always been its relatively cheap production cost. Spiral has continued that trend, being made on a reported budget of around $20 million.

Of course, the real question is whether Spiral has earned such a large-scale reboot of the franchise. While it has certainly received praise from fans of the genre and several critics, the overall critical consensus isn’t too far removed from what Saw has faced before – a gory story that succeeds on violence and shock value in lieu of having anything truly impactful to say. Spiral has attempted to change that narrative with some commentary on police brutality and racial violence, but many still believe it falls short where it matters.