A24 is moving forward with a new expansion of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise, beginning with a television series developed by JT Mollner. The project marks the first release under A24’s recently acquired rights to the long-running horror property.
The studio secured the franchise’s film and television rights in September following a competitive auction process overseen by Verve. Multiple studios and creative teams participated in the bidding, including Oz Perkins, Jordan Peele, and Taylor Sheridan. Verve has represented the rights to The Texas Chainsaw Massacre since 2017.
The series will be executive-produced by Roy Lee and Steven Schneider through Spooky Pictures, reuniting with Mollner after their collaboration on Strange Darling. Additional executive producers include Stuart Manashil, Image Nation’s Ben Ross, Barnstorm’s Glen Powell and Dan Cohen, and Exurbia Films’ Kim Henkel, who co-created the original 1974 film The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Powell is attached in a producing capacity only. Ian Henkel and Pat Cassidy will also produce for Exurbia Films.
A feature film is also in early development with the same producing team and Image Nation, though Mollner is not attached. The film has not yet been packaged, and no distributor is currently in place, despite earlier reports pointing to a potential Netflix release.
Exurbia Films remains the primary production company associated with The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, with Kim Henkel, Ian Henkel, and Pat Cassidy continuing as producers across the franchise.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, released in 1974, was made for a reported $140,000 and distributed by Bryanston Distributing Company, the same outfit that had handled the 1972 release of Deep Throat. The film went on to earn around $31 million at the box office, though its creators received little of the resulting profit. In 1983, New Line Cinema acquired the franchise’s distribution rights, overseeing the release of nine further entries that together grossed more than $252 million worldwide. Over the years, the property has grown beyond film into comics, novels, and video games, establishing a cultural footprint well beyond its modest beginnings.
Mollner said the television format offered a chance to explore the franchise without revisiting the original film, while Glen Powell described his role as a producer as reflecting a personal connection to the property. Kim Henkel said it had been a difficult decision, but A24’s embrace of boundary-testing genre filmmaking and its track record with inventive artists made the studio a compelling choice. “With a strong creative and producing team — JT Mollner, Roy Lee, Dan Cohen and Glen Powell — in place, we believe this series has the potential to be genuinely eye-opening and unexpected,” Henkel added, teasing that an “epic tale lurks in the Chainsaw backstory.”
