‘Texas Chainsaw Massacre’ Heads to A24 With Glen Powell Producing; TV Series Sets JT Mollner to Direct, Plus New Movie in the Works

A24 has won the franchise rights for “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” after a competitive bidding situation. The studio will begin with a TV series, but a film is also in the early stages of development.

Glen Powell is an executive producer on the franchise alongside Dan Cohen via Powell’s Barnstorm banner. The team of executive producers also includes Spooky Picture’s Roy Lee and Steven Schneider, Stuart Manashil, Image Nation’s Ben Ross, and Exurbia Films’ Kim Henkel, who co-wrote the original “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” film. Exurbia’s Ian Henkel and Pat Cassidy serve as producers.

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JT Mollner, who previously collaborated with Lee and Schneider when on the 2023 film “Strange Darling” and 2025’s “The Long Walk,” will direct the TV series. Mollner is not attached to the film, which hails from the same producing team alongside Image Nation.

Verve represents the media rights for “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” and led the A24 deal, working with Exurbia to ideally position the franchise while “protecting its legacy,” per a release.

The original “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” film — an icon in the horror genre — was released in 1974 and was co-written by Henkel and director Tobe Hooper. Since then, there have been eight more films, notably including 1986’s “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2,” which was directed by Hooper and written by L.M. Kit Carson, and 1995’s “The Return of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre” aka “Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation,” written and directed by Henkel and starring Renée Zellweger and Matthew McConaughey. A novel, a comic book series and three video games have also been released under the “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” IP.

In a statement, Mollner said, ”I’ve said publicly that I’m not interested in remaking perfect films, and the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre is a perfect film. Tobe Hooper and Kim Henkel created something bold, transgressive, and truly seminal that holds up even today as the gold standard for horror. When the opportunity for a long form exploration into this world arose, I saw it as a fresh way in, as well as a way to honor the existing folklore. I can’t imagine better partners for this approach than A24. This is truly an honor.”

“The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is one of my favorite films,” said Powell. “It defined a generation of horror films and over half a century after its release, it remains one of the definitive movies of my home state. I’m honored to have Barnstorm help bring in a new chapter for such an iconic title and franchise. With a marquee home in A24 and visionary filmmaker with JT Mollner, alongside our top shelf producing partners, I couldn’t have dreamed of a better team for such a dream property.”

“It was a difficult decision, but A24’s embrace of boundary-testing genre film, and its record of working with artists who are inclined to test boundaries made them a compelling choice,” said Henkel. “Plus, we believe having a great creative and producing team — JT Mollner, Roy Lee, Dan Cohen and Glen Powell —in place gives us the best shot at a series that could be genuinely eye-opening and unexpected. There’s an epic tale lurking in the Chainsaw backstory.” 

Lee and Barnstorm are both repped by CAA. Mollner is repped by UTA, World Builder Entertainment and Jackoway Austen Tyerman Wertheimer Mandelbaum Morris Bernstein Trattner Auerbach Hynick Jaime LeVine Sample & Klein. Schneider is repped by UTA. Exurbia is repped by Verve and attorney Marios Rush.