The Texas Chainsaw Massacre could be roaring back to life — this time in the form of a TV series.
After a competitive bidding situation that unfolded over the past few months, A24 has landed rights to the next take on the horror franchise that dates back to 1974’s Texas Chain Saw Massacre, which introduced the world to Leatherface and his murderous family. The indie studio will first tackle a series based on the franchise with Glen Powell among the executive producers and The Long Walk writer JT Mollner attached to direct. Powell, it’s noted, will only have a producing role in the project and isn’t slated to appear on screen.
The EPs for the series project are Roy Lee and Steven Schneider of Spooky Pictures, Stuart Manashil, Image Nation’s Ben Ross, Powell and Dan Cohen of Barnstorm, and Exurbia Films’ Kim Henkel, who co-wrote the original film and produced several of the franchise’s subsequent entries. Exurbia’s Ian Henkel and Pat Cassidy will produce.
The same producing team, along with ImageNation, are also in early development on a Texas Chainsaw Massacre film. Mollner isn’t involved with the movie project.
“I’ve said publicly that I’m not interested in remaking perfect films, and the original Texas Chain Saw Massacre is a perfect film,” Mollner said in a statement. I have so much reverence for [director and co-writer] Tobe Hooper and Kim Henkel because they created something bold, transgressive, and truly seminal that holds up even today as the gold standard for horror. When the idea for a long form exploration into this world came to me, I saw it as a fresh way in, as well to honor and build on the existing folklore. It’s the only way I wanted to do it — and I can’t imagine better partners for this concept than A24. This is truly an honor.”
Said Powell, “The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is one of my favorite films. It defined a generation of horror films and over half a century after its release, it remains one of the definitive movies of my home state. I’m honored to have Barnstorm help bring in a new chapter for such an iconic title and franchise. With a marquee home in A24 and visionary filmmaker with JT Mollner, alongside our top shelf producing partners, I couldn’t have dreamed of a better team for such a dream property.”
A24, of course, has an extensive horror track record with films like Hereditary, Midsommar and Ti West’s X/Pearl/MaXXXine trilogy. The studio is also behind a series interpretation of another classic horror franchise in Peacock’s Friday the 13th prequel Crystal Lake.
“It was a difficult decision, but A24’s embrace of boundary-testing genre film, and its record of working with artists who are inclined to test boundaries made them a compelling choice,” said Kim Henkel. “Plus, we believe having a great creative and producing team — JT Mollner, Roy Lee, Dan Cohen and Glen Powell — in place gives us the best shot at a series that could be genuinely eye-opening and unexpected. There’s an epic tale lurking in the Chainsaw backstory.”
Since the original 1974 film, eight sequels, prequels and remakes have followed, most recently Netflix’s 2022 movie Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
Verve, which represents all media rights for Texas Chainsaw Massacre, led the bidding process and worked with Exurbia Films on a strategic plan for the deal. Barnstorm and Lee are repped by CAA. Mollner and Schneider are with UTA. Exurbia Films is repped by Verve and attorney Marios Rush.
