Since the first Texas Chainsaw Massacre ushered in a new era of horror movies way back in 1974, the film has undergone a number of different reboots, retcons, sequels, and prequels. And now, it’s about to get another one.
A new Variety report states that Legendary, the current owners of the rights to the series, has greenlit a new reboot of Tobe Hooper’s original film. The studio has tasked a pair of relative newcomers to handle the project in twin brothers Ryan and Andy Tohill, while another newbie — Chris Thomas Devlin — will write the script. That’s a lot of new blood being given the reigns to an iconic property, but have no fear. They’ll presumably be guided in their efforts by the film’s producer, Fede Alvarez, who previously directed Don’t Breathe and the 2013 Evil Dead reboot. “The Tohills’ vision is exactly what the fans want,” Alvarez said in a statement, according to Variety. “It’s violent, exciting and so depraved that it will stay with you forever.”
The original film was followed by three sequels, with the last one, Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation, coming out in 1995. The franchise was then rebooted with 2003’s The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, which was followed by the 2006 prequel, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning. That film marked the end of the franchise’s second incarnation, as it was rebooted again in 2013 with Texas Chainsaw 3D. A retcon-reboot, this film takes place after the original 1974 film and negates that film’s other sequels. 3D was followed up in 2017 by Leatherface, a prequel to the 1974 film that reveals the origin of the franchise’s main antagonist.
As for this newest reboot, no plot details have been revealed, as the studio is looking to keep things close to the vest. It will be interesting to see if the franchise heads in a new direction after eight films, or if we’ll be given more of the same gory shenanigans. In any case, it looks like Leatherface will be revving up his chainsaw once again very soon.
