‘Texas Chainsaw Massacre’ Hot Packages Revving Up As Leatherface Lurks Again – The Dish

EXCLUSIVE: Studios and filmmakers are knocking on Verve‘s door as the agency is sitting on bloody good IP that they’re looking to take on the town: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Verve has repped the rights for the slasher series created by Tobe Hooper and Kim Henkel since 2017.

At a time when horror and franchises are really the only surefire bets at the post-Covid and strike-impacted box office, the 51-year-old horror property about a chainsaw-wielding serial killer still has potential to make a killing.

One of the parties, we hear, showing interest in reviving Texas Chainsaw Massacre is filmmaker/scribe JT Mollner and producer Roy Lee, hot off Strange Darling, their $3 million-grossing, 96% certified Rotten Tomatoes cult hit. If Mollner gets a script together, word is that Glen Powell would like to read it. It’s very early days on this; no contracts or attachments as of yet, and the Mollner/Powell combo is but one interested party of many (though we’ve heard that Lionsgate, A24 and others are expressing interest in that version). Also, don’t be shocked if Neon jumps in the fray after working with Oz Perkins on Longlegs, The Monkey and the upcoming Keeper; it’s looking for its next big horror film.

Said a Verve rep to Deadline, “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 into any filmmakers, producers or buyers,” the rep continued. “Because this is such a hot and iconic horror property, packages are pre-emptively being brought to Verve.”

Exurbia Films is the primary production company, with Pat Cassidy, Ian Henkel and Kim Henkel as producers. The property is represented by attorney Marios Rush.

Among horror IP, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is the little engine that could. Conceived by Hooper and Henkel and directed by Hooper, the project was inspired by serial killers like Ed Gein and Elmer Wayne Henley. Hooper made the feature about a killer, named Leatherface, who uses his chainsaw to go on a cannibalistic killing spree, for $140,000 (unadjusted for inflation), shooting the movie in the rural Texas countryside with unknown actors in 95 degree-plus heat. A very pre-Night Court John Larroquette narrated the movie, which hit theaters in 1974.

The pic’s means of funding is an exhibit A in indie finance, with money pieced together by Hooper’s friend Bill Parsley throwing in $60,000. President of the Texas State Bar Joe K. Longley kicked in another $23,000. Hooper couldn’t find a distributor until Warren Skaaren, then head of the Texas Film Commission, pointed him in the direction of the Bryanston Distributing Company, which took global rights. Bryanston was famous for releasing one of the post profitable X-rated movies of all time, 1972’s Deep Throat, which was made for $22,000 and grossed around $30 million-$50 million at the box office.

Bryanston’s cut of Texas Chainsaw Massacre was big at a $225,000 flat fee and a reported 35% of profits. After the investors recouped, and attorneys and lawyers, a reported $8,100 was left to divide among 20 cast and crew members. The movie would go on to make $31M worldwide, and the producers sued Bryanston for failing to pay them their full share of profits. A court judgment ruled that Bryanston pay the filmmakers $500,000, but by that time the distributor had declared bankruptcy.

There would be an ultimate silver lining for Hooper: Steven Spielberg tapped him to direct a horror movie that he co-wrote and produced, Poltergeist, which turned in a massive summer hit in 1982 grossing north of $77M domestic (unadjusted for inflation).

In 1983, New Line Cinema acquired distribution rights. The entire franchise would go on to count nine movies in total, grossing north of $252M at the worldwide box office, spawning a comics, a novel and two video game adaptations. The franchise was also responsible for launching marquee stars: The 1994 sequel, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation, starred a very early-days Matthew McConaughey and Renée Zellweger.

New Line launched a prolific 2003 remake directed by German filmmaker Marcus Nispel with Michael Bay producing and pre-Quiet Place Andrew Form and Brad Fuller executive producing. Starring Jessica Biel just as she was segueing from 7th Heaven to the big screen, it remains the highest-grossing installment at $107M. That version was also shot by the director of photography of the 1974 film, Daniel Pearl.

We’ll keep you apprised on Texas Chainsaw Massacre‘s killing spree around town as projects come together.