A24 won the rights to reboot the “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” franchise in a competitive situation that played out over the last couple of months, TheWrap has learned. Now a television series and film are on the way.
The series will be the first project out of the gate followed by a film in early development, A24 announced Wednesday.
JT Mollner, the breakout filmmaker behind “Strange Darling” and writer of “The Long Walk,” will direct the series, while Glen Powell is involved as a producer. At this time, he is not attached to act in either the series or film.
The iconic horror franchise began with Tobe Hooper’s and Kim Henkel’s 1974 horror classic “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.”
Executive producers include Spooky Picture’s Roy Lee and Steven Schneider, 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 will serve strictly in a producing role. Exurbia Films’ Ian Henkel and Pat Cassidy will also produce.
A film is also in early development with the same producing team and Image Nation, though Mollner is not attached to the film.
“I’ve said publicly that I’m not interested in remaking perfect films, and the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre is a perfect film,” Mollner said in a statement. “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.”
With interest from several studios and high-level creative teams, Verve, which represents all media rights, led the process working with Exurbia Films (Kim Henkel, Ian Henkel and Pat Cassidy) with the goal of building out and developing a strategic plan for the franchise while protecting its legacy.
Roy Lee and Barnstorm are repped by CAA. Mollner is repped by UTA, World Builder Entertainment and Jackoway Austen Tyerman Wertheimer Mandelbaum Morris Bernstein Trattner Auerbach Hynick Jaime LeVine Sample & Klein. Schneider is repped by UTA. Exurbia Films is repped by Verve and attorney Marios Rush.
