Spiral: From the Book of Saw Pushed to 2021

Spiral: From the Book of Saw was originally set to land in theaters this month, only for the coronavirus pandemic to close theaters around the world and cause Lionsgate to pull it from its release schedule, with the upcoming film now set to land in theaters on May 21, 2021. This news is sure to disappoint fans of the franchise, as other high-profile projects that had their releases delayed have only resulted in a shift of a few months, such as A Quiet Place Part II being pushed from March to this September, while Spiral will now land in theaters more than a year after it was originally intended to.

The film is described, "A sadistic mastermind unleashes a twisted form of justice in Spiral, the terrifying new chapter from the book of Saw. Working in the shadow of an esteemed police veteran (Samuel L. Jackson), brash Detective Ezekiel 'Zeke' Banks (Chris Rock) and his rookie partner (Max Minghella) take charge of a grisly investigation into murders that are eerily reminiscent of the city's gruesome past. Unwittingly entrapped in a deepening mystery, Zeke finds himself at the center of the killer's morbid game.

Spiral stars Chris Rock, Max Minghella, Marisol Nichols, and Samuel L. Jackson, and is produced by the original Saw team of Mark Burg and Oren Koules. The film is directed by Darren Lynn Bousman and written by Josh Stolberg & Pete Goldfinger.

Despite this news coming as a disappointment, it's hard for anyone to hold anything against the studio for ensuring the film is released at an optimal time. As the coronavirus began making a major impact on Hollywood earlier this year, one of the most highly anticipated films, F9, was delayed a full year at a time when other films were only being pushed back by months. There's clearly a strategy for both of these films being released in the spring months that will be most beneficial, even if it keeps audiences waiting.

Given that we are still in the middle of the pandemic with no clear end in sight, no one knows when theaters will be able to resume normal operation, resulting in some studios seeking alternate methods to get their films to audiences. Trolls: World Tour, for example, opted to skip the theatrical window and went straight to VOD.

Spiral: From the Book of Saw hits theaters on May 21, 2021.

Are you disappointed by the long delay? Let us know in the comments below or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter to talk all things horror and Star Wars!