The next Texas Chainsaw Massacre movie is confirmed to be in canon with the first film in the franchise. Tobe Hooper's original Texas Chain Saw Massacre came out in 1974 and is considered one of the most popular and grotesque horror films of the decade. This movie introduced Leatherface to the horror community, a cannibalistic maniac who was partly inspired by the serial killer Ed Gein.
Due to the graphic nature of the original, the franchise is still popular today. After Legendary Entertainment bought the rights to the Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise in August 2018, it was announced that a reboot was in development along with a possible TV series. After a week of filming the Texas Chainsaw Massacre reboot, the directors were replaced in favor of David Blue Garcia, who is mostly known as a cinematographer. The next Texas Chainsaw Massacre movie recently wrapped production, which has allowed Legendary Entertainment to not only release a new poster featuring Leatherface, but also give fans an idea of what the story will be about.
In a recent press release from Legendary Entertainment for the Call of Duty "The Haunting of Verdansk" event, it was revealed that the Texas Chainsaw Massacre reboot will be a continuation of Tobe Hooper's original film. Legendary announced this by saying, "The new film, a continuation of Tobe Hooper’s shocking 1974 seminal horror classic, marks the return of Leatherface, re-introducing one of the most iconic villains of the horror genre to a whole new generation."
Like many popular horror movies, the success of Hooper's original Texas Chain Saw Massacre paved the way for several lackluster entries to the franchise. Hooper returned to direct Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, which got mixed reviews from fans and critics but eventually garnered a cult following. The following six films continued to deteriorate the quality of the franchise. Future Texas Chainsaw Massacre movies muddled the canon by some following the events of the original and others ignoring the events of past sequels.
Taking place after the first Texas Chain Saw Massacre clearly seems like the best route to go for the reboot. 2018's Halloween was a successful sequel that took place 40 years after John Carpenter's 1978 film and effectively retconned every sequel. While the Texas Chainsaw Massacre reboot will be a continuation of the original, it remains to be seen when the film will be set. It could take place in the '70s and directly pick up where the original left off, or it could take a page from Halloween and be set in the present day. Regardless, Legendary Pictures has a real opportunity to successfully reboot The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
Source: Legendary Entertainment