A24 Secures Rights to Texas Chainsaw Massacre

It appears the bidding war for everyone's favourite chainsaw wielding slasher has come to an end with A24 coming out on top, and they've already announced plans for the iconic franchise.

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre by Huan Do

“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. 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.” - Kim Henkel

As revealed by Deadline earlier today, Leatherface will be making a comeback on both the big and small screen.

A24 finally is working on the next iteration of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise with a TV series from JT Mollner being the first project out of the gate. This comes after winning a months-long bidding war for the 1974 horror feature’s franchise TV and film rights

Series EPs include Spooky Picture’s Roy Lee and Steven Schneider, who are re-teaming with Mollner after Strange Darling, as well as Stuart Manashil, Image Nation’s Ben Ross, Barnstorm’s Glen Powell and Dan Cohen, and Exurbia Films’ Kim Henkel, who co-created the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Powell is only producing. Exurbia Films’ Ian Henkel and Pat Cassidy also will produce. 

A movie also is in early development with the same producing team and ImageNation, but Mollner isn’t attached to that project. The movie isn’t packaged yet, and it’s not clear if it’s headed to Netflix as previously reported.

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre auction was administered by Verve, who has repped the rights to the slasher franchise since 2017. It drew the interest of several studios and high-level creatives, including Oz Perkins, Jordan Peele, and Taylor Sheridan.

“I’ve said publicly that I’m not interested in remaking perfect films, and the original Texas Chain Saw Massacre is a perfect film. Tobe Hooper and Kim Henkel created something bold, transgressive, and truly seminal that holds up even today as the gold standard for horror. When the opportunity for a long form exploration into this world arose, I saw it as a fresh way in, as well as a way to honor the existing folklore. I can’t imagine better partners for this approach than A24. This is truly an honour.” - JT Mollner

A24 Secures Rights to Texas Chainsaw Massacre

“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.” - Glenn Powell