A24’s ‘Texas Chain Saw Massacre’ Producer Hints TV Series Will Explore Leatherface’s Early Years [Exclusive]
Legendary horror producer Roy Lee just shared with Dread Central what could be a major exclusive clue as to the direction of A24’s recently announced Texas Chain Saw Massacre television series. One of the most important creative figures in horror, Lee is responsible for producing modern genre hits like It, It: Chapter 2, Barbarian, Weapons, and countless others.
While speaking with us about his gritty new slasher, Psycho Killer (now in theaters), we asked Lee whether the Chain Saw TV project would take a similar approach to his Friday the 13th prequel series, Crystal Lake, which is reportedly set to explore Jason Voorhees’ formative years before he becomes the masked horror icon.
When asked whether Leatherface would receive a similar early-years treatment in the Texas Chain Saw series, Lee responded, “That’s the idea. That’s going to be something like that.”
If that holds, it suggests A24 may be positioning Texas Chain Saw Massacre as an origin-driven rework of the franchise rather than a straightforward reboot or sequel. An early-years focus might just open the door to a deep-dive of the Sawyer family and the nasty world that shaped lil’ Leatherface long before he first revved up that chainsaw.
Lee’s comment marks the clearest indication yet that the studio may be taking a character-driven, prequel-style approach, similar to what it’s developing with Crystal Lake Leatherface’s origins and younger years were explored previously with films like Leatherface (2017) and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning (2006).
It’s worth noting that Roy Lee was also a producer on Bate Motels, the hit Psycho prequel series featuring a young Norman Bates.
Lee’s latest horror film, Psycho Killer, lands in theaters on Friday, February 20th. The brutal horror-thriller was written by Andrew Kevin Walker, the iconic screenwriter responsible for Seven, Sleepy Hollow and 8MM. Get your tickets here.
Categorized:News