A24 has emerged victorious from a months-long bidding war for the Texas Chainsaw Massacre film and television rights, Deadline reports.
Strange Darling filmmaker and The Long Walk screenwriter JT Mollner is spearheading a TV series based on the iconic horror property.
Glen Powell will executive produce with Dan Cohen via Barnstorm, alongside Spooky Pictures’ Roy Lee (Weapons) and Steven Schneider (Paranormal Activity), Stuart Manashil (His House), Image Nation’s Ben Ross (Late Night with the Devil), and Exurbia Films’ Kim Henkel, co-creator of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.
Exurbia Films’ Ian Henkel & Pat Cassidy (Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2022) will produce.
A new film is also in early development from the same producing team, but Mollner isn’t attached to that project. Deadline notes, “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,” said Mollner. “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 honor.”
“The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is one of my favorite films,” added Powell. “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.”
“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,” Henkel commented. “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.”
In the 1974 genre-defining masterpiece, five youths traveling through rural Texas fall prey to a butcher in a mask made of human skin and his cannibalistic family.
The post ‘Texas Chainsaw Massacre’ TV Series in the Works from A24; New Film Also in Development appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.