Many eyebrows were raised when it was announced that comedian Chris Rock would be joining the gory slasher-thriller franchise Saw in spinoff film Spiral: From the Book of Saw. In an interview, the director of the movie, Darren Lynn Bousman, explained how Chris Rock was instrumental in getting him back to make a Saw movie after he famously announced he was done with the franchise following a mixed reception to Saw 4.

"I guess I've learned to never say never because when I was presented with the idea and heard Chris' take on it, I was like, 'Shit, that's good. They were like, 'Yeah,' so I signed up immediately. I'm just excited, it's really a unique take and a way to kind of relaunch the franchise while still paying massive homage to what came before it."

It was a pleasant surprise for fans to see Chris Rock in a serious role in the trailer for Spiral: From the Book of Saw, where he plays the role of a detective investigating a series of gruesome murders committed in the vein of the infamous Jigsaw killer. While Rock's background in comedy might be thought to clash with the sensibilities of a Saw movie, Bousman has nothing but praise for the way the actor conducted himself during filming.

"I think there were two times on set that he pulled me aside and said, 'Hey, am I overstepping or can I give you a suggestion?'. Both times he did it, he improved the scene and scenario 100 fold and that was kind of awesome and then on top of that, he would back me on a lot of things. There would obviously be creative disagreements with the producers and myself and Chris, 95 percent of the time, would listen to my idea and be like, 'No, that's dope, what he's talking about is cool.' Chris and I bonded almost immediately and he was an awesome collaborator on the process."

While Spiral takes place in the same reality as the Jigsaw killer, the upcoming movie is not a direct sequel. That means it can shed the load of having to reference old characters and plotlines, and can instead take the best parts of the Saw series to create a fresh narrative. The fact that the movie was Rock's idea, and it was intriguing enough to get Darren Lynn Bousman back in the director's chair means Spiral is aiming to be more than an attempt to cash in on the popularity of the world of Saw.

With more and more horror films relying on 'psychological' horror or CGI to get their scares, Spiral: From the Book of Saw stands out from the crowd by once again making a series of grisly traps and 'body horror' executions the center of the narrative. Hopefully, fans will be able to see the film without any more release delays.

Directed by Darren Lynn Bousman, starring Chris Rock, Max Minghella, Marisol Nichols, and Samuel L. Jackson, Spiral: From the Book of Saw is duein theaters on May 21, 2021. This news comes from ComingSoon.