The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is one of those popular properties that always seems to pop up when you least expect it, even on the 2025 movie schedule. While director Tobe Hooper’s entry in the ranks of the best horror movies of all time won’t be yelling “action” any time soon, there is a buzz about the film that’s attracted a surprising party: Yellowstone mastermind Taylor Sheridan.
As if that wasn’t enough to get hyped about, his competition for the honors is pretty stacked as well. Reporting out of Deadline has what it’s called a “beauty contest” kicking off on Monday, with Sheridan’s pitch to produce “a future Texas Chainsaw Massacre project” being part of the mix.
Jordan Peele’s Monkeypaw Productions are also competing for the rights. Both of those horror creatives are exciting prospects, while also being more traditionally horror-minded folks.
Glen Powell bidding war over The Texas Chainsaw Massacre? Apparently, his TV pitch with A24 is still on the table for this round, which would pair well with the studio’s upcoming Friday the 13th prequel series.
Now while this is a rights management contest with no frontrunner, each of those highlighted contenders would have a unique flavor to offer. Taylor Sheridan’s Texas Chainsaw Massacre could take the cutthroat family dynamic he’s known for in Yellowstone and its various spinoffs, and amp up the terror angle in the right hands. Maybe a rugged Tim McGraw could take on Leatherface with a shotgun, in a battle royale for the ages?
Meanwhile, Osgood Perkins’ variant, to be co-written/directed by The Strangers Bryan Bertino, would more than likely be a slow burn descent into madness. If you want to talk about “traditional,” this might be the avenue that best suits the original movie’s tone and execution.
But I’m starting to really get stoked about a Monkeypaw Productions take on Tobe Hooper and co-writer Kim Henkel’s original creation. Sinners’ recent box office success makes it quite easy to picture the Sawyer family as the ultimate symbol of racial injustice, squaring off against a more diverse band of unsuspecting victims. You can kind of see why so many horror hands have tried to revamp this series and continue to do so despite lackluster results like Texas Chainsaw 3D.
It’s hard not to get excited about any of these pitches, and I do understand that this process may find a new winner that beats them all. So long as whoever lands The Texas Chainsaw Massacre does something fresh and try to convince us Alexandra Daddario is twice as old as she really is, then we should be set for some excitement!