A24 is reportedly a likely candidate to win the film and television rights to The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. Rights to the grisly production are up for auction, alongside pitches by Jordan Peele at Universal, Oz Perkins at NEON, and Taylor Sheridan. Another proposal would be for a TV series to be produced by Roy Lee, JT Mollner, and Glenn Powell, as well as a Netflix movie produced solely by Lee.

Released in 1974, the original film was directed by Tobe Hooper, who co-wrote the script with Kim Henkel. It grossed $31 million on an original outlay of $140,000. The film was distributed by Bryanston Distributing Company, which also released the notorious X-rated flick Deep Throat. Since 2017, the Verve agency has been managing rights to The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, while Exurbia Films has been the primary production company involved in the franchise with Pat Cassidy, Ian Henkel and Kim Henkel listed as the producers.

Often cited as a commentary on the violence and corruption of the Vietnam and Watergate eras, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre involves a group of friends who fall prey to a family of cannibals armed with power tools while they are visiting a remote homestead.  The film has since achieved iconic status in the pantheon of horror films, and has spawned many sequels and prequels in its turbulent wake.  The highest-grossing of these, a reboot from 2003, was directed by Marcus Nispel and produced by Michael Bay, Andrew Form, and Brad Fuller. Starring Jessica Biel, it made $107 million on the global market. Overall, the franchise of nine films, plus comics, a novel, and video games, has earned some $252 million worldwide. New Line Cinema earned distribution rights to the franchise in 1983.

Though no timetable has been announced, it’s expected by industry observers that things will surely move quickly once a distribution deal has been inked.

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