The Ring (franchise)
Ring, also known as The Ring, is a Japanese-American horror media franchise, based on the novel series of the same name written by Koji Suzuki. The franchise includes eight Japanese films, two television series, six manga adaptations, five international film remakes, and two video games; ' and '.
The films revolve around a cursed videotape that kills anyone who watches it seven days later. It was created by psychic Sadako Yamamura, who was murdered by her adoptive father and thrown into a well. After her supposed death, she returned as a ghostly serial killer, killing anyone who fails to copy and then send the videotape to someone else under a seven-day deadline.
Novels
The franchise began with Koji Suzuki's 1991 novel Ring. It was the first of a trilogy, with two sequels: Spiral and Loop. Several later novels based on Ring were released: Birthday, S, and Tide.Japanese media
Films
In 1998, Hideo Nakata made a new Japanese adaptation of the book in his film Ring, initiating the franchise. The original sequel to this was Rasen, an adaptation of Spiral. However, due to poor reception, a new sequel, Ring 2, was released in 1999 which continued the storyline of Ring, but was not based on Suzuki's books. This was followed by a 2000 prequel, , which was based on the short story "Lemon Heart" from Suzuki's 1999 book, Birthday. These films delved into a uniquely different mythos surrounding Sadako Yamamura and the cursed videotape. These changes led the franchise to attain a cult status, both domestically and internationally, popularizing the Japanese horror genre as a whole and the stringy black-haired yūrei trope.In 2012, Sadako 3D was released, adapted from Suzuki's book S, and in 2013 Sadako 3D 2 was released, continuing the timeline of Spiral.
Sadako was released on May 24, 2019, with Hideo Nakata returning as director. This marks the first entry in his timeline since Ring 2, 20 years prior.
Television series
The first adaption of Ring was the Japanese television film Ring, released in 1995. This remained the closest to the book but didn't have the success and recognition of the later films.is a 12 episode self-contained miniseries that aired in 1999, and is loosely based on the original Ring novel. It is not connected to the films or the previous television adaptation.
In the same year, a sequel television miniseries titled Rasen was made, consisting of 13 episodes.
Crossover film
In 2016, Sadako vs. Kayako, directed by Kōji Shiraishi, was released, a crossover of the Ju-on series of horror films, though not canon to either timeline, as the deadline for the video tape is 2 days instead of 7. It features Sadakaya, a ghost that resulted from the fusion of Sadako and the Ju-on antagonist Kayako Saeki.Manga
Several manga series have been published by Kadokawa Shoten based on the films. The second manga adaptation is a two-volume series based on the first novel. The manga was written Hiroshi Takahashi and illustrated by Misao Inagaki. Both volumes were released on January 21, 1999. Dark Horse Comics compiled the first two volumes and released an english-language version on November 12, 2003.The third adaptation, was written by Hiroshi Takahashi and illustrated by Meimu, was released on February 3, 1999. Dark Horse Comics released it on May 19, 2004 as the second volume of the Ring manga series.
The fourth adaptation, titled Spiral, is based on the novel and film of the same name. The manga was written by Koji Suzuki, illustrated by Sakura Mizuki, and released on September 10, 1999. Dark Horse released it on August 18, 2004 as volume 3 of the Ring manga series.
The fifth adaptation, titled Birthday, is based on the novel and film of the same name. The manga was written by Hiroshi Takahashi, illustrated by Meimu and released on December 22, 1999. Dark Horse Comics released it on November 3, 2004 as volume 4 of the Ring manga series.
The sixth, named "", was also written by Hiroshi Takahashi and illustrated by Meimu, and released on January 28, 2000. Dark Horse Comics released it on March 30, 2005 as "Volume 0" of the Ring manga series.
Korean remake
The Ring Virus was the first remake to be made, in 1999, where the killer is renamed as Park Eun-suh, who is a hermaphrodite, unlike the biologically female Sadako in the films. Though the film copied multiple scenes from Ring, it is, like Ring: Kanzenban, very faithful to the original novel series.American films
In 2002, an American remake was made, titled The Ring, where the killer is renamed as Samara Morgan, who is a preteen instead of an adolescent woman. The Ring was one of the highest-grossing horror remakes, its box office gross surpassing that of Ring. Two sequels were made, including a short film.''The Ring'' (2002)
is a journalist investigating a videotape that may have killed four teenagers. There is an urban legend about this tape: the viewer will die seven days after watching it. If the legend is correct, Rachel would have to run against time to save her son's and her own life.''Rings'' (2005 short film)
Jake Pierce, a young teenager watches a cursed video tape after joining a teen cult named "Rings".''The Ring Two'' (2005)
A high school student named Jake Pierce tries to make his girlfriend Emily watch the cursed videotape. But then Jake finds out that Emily covered her eyes and didn't watch the tape, and then Jake is killed by Samara Morgan from the first film. Rachel Keller learns of Jake's death and realizes she has to save her son Aidan from Samara.''Rings'' (2017 feature film)
Julia becomes worried about her boyfriend when he explores a dark subculture surrounding a mysterious videotape said to kill the watcher seven days after he has viewed it. She sacrifices herself to save her boyfriend and in doing so makes a horrifying discovery: there is a "movie within the movie" that no one has ever seen before.Future
In September 2019, The Grudge director Nicolas Pesce expressed interest in a crossover film between The Grudge and the American The Ring film series.Unofficial films
In 2015, Hikiko-san vs Sadako, directed by Nagaoka Hisaaki was released. While the DVD cover features a character resembling Sadako emerging from a well, the character in the film is named Sadako Takamura.In 2016 and 2017, Bunshinsaba vs Sadako and Bunshinsaba vs Sadako 2, both directed by River Huang, a crossover with the Bunshinsaba film series, were released. A third film, Bunshinsaba vs Sadako 3, is currently scheduled to be released in late 2020.
The Return of Sadako, released in 2018, was the first stand-alone Chinese Ring film to be made following the crossover film Bunshinaba vs. Sadako in 2016; produced by Scarecrow Pictures, the film's killers renamed as sisters Sadako and Kawako, who flee to China alongside their father after the outbreak of the Second Sino-Japanese War, before turning against one another for the love of a Japanese boy; years later a projector is discovered in their house with their souls imprinted upon it. Though the film was marketed as an unofficial sequel to Sadako 3D 2, it is in-fact a remake.
Japanese cast and crew
Cast
Key
- A indicates the actor portrayed the role of a younger version of the character.
- A indicates the actor or actress lent only his or her voice for his or her film character.
- A indicates the actor or actress portrayed their film character as possessed by another.
- An indicates an appearance through archival footage.
- A indicates a cameo appearance.
- A dark gray cell indicates the character was not in the film.
Hideo Nakata Timeline (1998–2019)
''Rasen'' Timeline (1998–2013)
Crew
American cast and crew
Cast
Key
- A indicates the actor portrayed the role of a younger version of the character.
- A indicates the actor or actress lent only his or her voice for his or her film character.
- A indicates the actor or actress portrayed their film character as possessed by another.
- An indicates an appearance through archival footage.
- A indicates a cameo appearance.
- A dark gray cell indicates the character was not in the film.
Crew
Reception
The original 1991 novel Ring sold 500,000 copies by January 1998, and 1.5million copies by July 2000.Box office performance
| Film | Release date | Box office gross | Budget |
| The Ring Virus | June 12, 1999 |
| Japanese films | American films | South Korean film | Box office total |
| $156,495,481 | $496,425,772 | $1,689,326 |