“EastEnders” star Sam Strike is in negotiations to star in “Leatherface,” the “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” prequel that is coming together at Millennium Films, multiple individuals familiar with the project have told TheWrap.
Julien Maury and Alexandre Bustillo, the French filmmakers behind cult hit “Inside,” are directing the horror movie, which was written by up-and-coming genre scribe Seth M. Sherwood.
The film is expected to serve as an origin story that follows Leatherface’s early years in the 1970s.
Strike is nearing a deal to play Jackson, the teenager who grows up to be Leatherface.
Carl Mazzocone is producing “Leatherface” with Christa Campbell and Lati Grobman after they successfully resurrected the “Texas Chainsaw” franchise in 2013. Les Weldon is also a producer on the project, which is being executive produced by Millennium’s Avi Lerner, Trevor Short, Boaz Davidson, John Thompson, Mark Gill and Beth Bruckner O’Brien.
Best known for playing Johnny Carter on the hit U.K. soap opera “EastEnders,” Strike also starred on “M.I. High.” He’s represented by APA and Lee Morgan Management.