Though the franchise hasn’t enjoyed a major success in a little over 20 years, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre may very well be coming back in the near future. Originally co-created by Kim Henkel and Tobe Hooper, the horror series revolving around a cannibalistic family in the titular state remains one of the genre’s most iconic properties, even if one of its poorer-received ones. After Netflix’s Texas Chainsaw Massacre kept the franchise’s negative review streak going in 2022, its future has been in an unclear place.
Now, Deadline reports that production company Verve, who have held the rights to the series since 2017, is currently meeting with prospective candidates for a new Texas Chainsaw Massacre movie. Though the studio noted to the publication that they have not “officially submitted” the rights to any filmmakers or producers, other sources report that one of the biggest parties currently interested in developing the next installment is Strange Darling’s JT Mollner, who is said to be working with producer Roy Lee to develop a pitch for a new installment.
While there is not currently a script or deals in place for Mollner and Lee to develop, sources also report that Glen Powell is interested in reading Mollner’s Texas Chainsaw Massacre material for the possibility of starring. Beyond the Twisters star, the report also indicates that the Strange Darling duo’s version has attracted the interest of Lionsgate and A24, while the publication also predicts that Neon will look to present a pitch with The Monkey’s Oz Perkins. A representative for Verve provided the following statement to the publication:

Verve represents The Texas Chainsaw Massacre estate and is building out a multimedia strategy for the seminal horror franchise. Verve has not officially submitted the property to any filmmakers, producers or buyers. Because this is such a hot and iconic horror property, packages are preemptively being brought to Verve.

What This Means For The Texas Chainsaw Massacre’s Future

It Marks An Interesting First For 1 Interested Party

While the Verve representative’s comments are clearly meant to temper expectations of how far along the reported discussions are, those being eyed for the next Texas Chainsaw Massacre movie mark an interesting mix of choices. To this point, Mollner has only two released films to his name, those being the Western thriller Outlaws and Angels and the thriller Strange Darling, which was one of the most acclaimed films of 2024, maintaining a 96% approval rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes and garnering praise from Stephen King. Mollner also penned the script for the upcoming King adaptation, The Long Walk.
A full list may not have been given for the studios interested in the title, but A24 and Lionsgate wanting to help develop the next Texas Chainsaw Massacre makes sense. The former found widespread success with 2022’s X, with praise particularly directed towards its homages to the franchise and other ’70s horror classics. The latter, on the other hand, has already been part of the franchise’s history, having released two of the prior installments, which were also poorly received. See how Lionsgate’s Texas Chainsaw Massacre movies compared to the others on Rotten Tomatoes in the chart below:

Title

Rotten Tomatoes Critics Score

Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score

Studio

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)

84%

82%

Bryanston Distributing Company

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2

52%

47%

Cannon Releasing

Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III

13%

31%

New Line Cinema

Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation

16%

18%

Cinépix Film Properties & Columbia TriStar Pictures

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003)

37%

58%

New Line Cinema (Domestic) & Focus Features (International)

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning

15%

53%

New Line Cinema

Texas Chainsaw 3D

20%

40%

Lionsgate

Leatherface

27%

24%

Lionsgate

Texas Chainsaw Massacre

30%

25%

Netflix

Arguably, one of the more interesting takeaways from the report is that Glen Powell is potentially interested in Mollner’s Texas Chainsaw Massacre treatment. Across his 22-year career, the closest he’s come to appearing in the horror genre was Ryan Murphy’s short-lived horror-comedy show Scream Queens, having since found success in the world of action and comedy thanks to the likes of Top Gun: Maverick, Hit Man and Twisters. That being said, considering Powell is a Texas native, it makes sense he’d be keen to be part of one of the state’s biggest franchises.
Our Take On The Texas Chainsaw Massacre’s Future

Mollner Working With A Clean Slate is Exactly What’s Needed

As much as I do broadly enjoy most of the franchise, the prospect of Mollner taking on the next Texas Chainsaw Massacre movie is a promising one, permitted that he’s allowed to work with a clean slate. The franchise has tried twice to go the way of a legacy sequel, and both didn’t utilize the formula well, while the 2003 remake remains one of the better efforts since the original. If Mollner is allowed to completely go back to basics without being weighed down by prior lore, he and Powell could bring the franchise back to life.
Source: Deadline

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre

Texas Chainsaw Massacre is a multimedia franchise that began with Tobe Hooper’s 1974 horror film, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. After the film’s initial release, there were a total of eight additional films added to the franchise, as well as comic books from various publishers, including Avatar Press and Wildstorm Comics. In 2023, the video game The Texas Chain Saw Massacre was released on PlayStation 4/5, PC, Xbox One, and Xbox X/S.

Created by

Tobe Hooper, Kim Henkel

Cast

Marilyn Burns, Gunnar Hansen, Paul A. Partain, Edwin Neal, Jim Siedow, Dennis Hopper, Caroline Williams, Bill Moseley, Bill Johnson, Viggo Mortensen, William Butler, Renée Zellweger, Matthew McConaughey, Jessica Biel, Jonathan Tucker, Jordana Brewster, Taylor Handley, Alexandra Daddario, Dan Yeager, Stephen Dorff, Lili Taylor, Olwen Fouéré, Sarah Yarkin, Elsie Fisher, Mark Burnham

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