The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, which is currently celebrating its 45th anniversary year, seems to be the next big horror film on the block for the reboot treatment.
Though the most recent film in the franchise, Leatherface (2017), was a flop, this film is the most promising opportunity to revive the franchise to date as it comes attached to a very big name in the horror scene: Fede Alvarez. Tobe Hooper's 1974 masterpiece has spawned seven other films in total including sequels, a prequel, a remake, comic books, and a 3-D film.
Horror fans were largely impressed with Alvarez's take on another beloved franchise with his 2013 reimagining of Sam Raimi's classic, The Evil Dead (1981), which makes him a natural choice to produce this film. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is known for having some strange continuity issues as well, which means a refresh to the system could be exactly what the franchise needs, especially since most of the recent films haven't been well-received.
Texas Chainsaw Massacre Reboot Is In Development
In August of 2018, Legendary Pictures bought the rights to the Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise from Kim Henkel, who co-wrote and produced the original film with the late Tobe Hooper. Legendary Pictures has announced that they are planning not only a reboot of The Texas Chainsaw massacre, but a TV series.
Deadline announced that Fede Alvarez and writing partner Rodolfo Sayagues, who work together under their production company, Bad Hombre, have signed an exclusive partnership with Legendary Pictures, which confirmed their attachment to the production side of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre reboot. Chris Thomas Devlin has been attached as the project's writer.
What Will The Reboot's Story Be About?
The reboot has been described as a continuation of the classic tale much in the same way David Gordon Green's 2018 Halloween movie followed up from John Carpenter's original film. The project may have a few pitfalls in that direction, given the fact that the role of Sally Hardesty couldn't be played by original actress Marilyn Burns, since she passed away in 2014. Likewise, where Carpenter oversaw aspects of production with Halloween, Tobe Hooper passed away in 2017. The film's other star, Gunnar Hansen (Leatherface), died in 2015.
Since Burns won't be able to reprise her role, the plot might instead choose to focus on a different family member making their way back to the Sawyer farm, perhaps in search of revenge. Hardesty may have made it out alive, but her brother, Franklin, didn't escape Leatherface's chainsaw rampage.
Depending on what canon the reboot chooses to acknowledge, it is possible to write out Hardesty entirely, as the events of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III and Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation both mentioned her being institutionalized after her escape and the latter noted she died there in 1977.
When Will The Texas Chainsaw Massacre Reboot Be Released?
It will still likely be at least a couple years before we see The Texas Chainsaw Massacre's reboot in theaters since filming hasn't even started on the project, but with such reputable talent attached, it's bound to be a film worth getting excited about.