A24 Brings Leatherface to TV: New Horror Series Announced
Bryanston Distributing Company / PR-ADN
A24 is making a bold move into television by focusing on Leatherface, the infamous character from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. This strategic decision reflects the studio’s ambition to expand its influence within the TV horror genre.
TL;DR
- A24 to adapt Texas Chainsaw Massacre into a TV series.
- Classic slasher icons increasingly invade the small screen.
- Each franchise reinvents itself for modern television audiences.
Slashers Carve Out New Ground on Television
Gone are the days when the greats of horror reigned solely over movie theaters. In recent years, the icons of the slasher genre have migrated en masse to television, transforming cult characters into episodic fixtures. Following the high-profile revivals of franchises like Halloween (2018) and the fresh take on Child’s Play: La Poupée du mal (2019), another heavyweight is set to haunt our living rooms: Leatherface, the notorious antihero from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
A24 Lands Chainsaw Rights Amid Fierce Competition
The independent powerhouse A24 has secured coveted rights to this grisly franchise after a hotly contested race. According to Deadline, development is already underway for a series centered on Leatherface, with filmmaker JT Mollner (Strange Darling) attached and actor-producer Glen Powell involved behind the scenes. While no official broadcaster has been named yet, A24’s ambitions extend further—a new feature film is reportedly in early planning as well. The Texas nightmare could soon become a defining chapter in television horror, if industry rumblings prove accurate.
A Look Back: When Horror First Met TV
Though it might seem like a recent trend, the leap from cinema to TV screens isn’t unprecedented for slashers. Back in the late 1980s, at the height of Freddy Krueger’s popularity, fans saw Freddy’s Nightmares hit the airwaves. Starring Robert Englund reprising his chilling role—sometimes with tongue firmly in cheek—the show delivered eerie anthologies set in Springwood rather than focusing solely on its infamous villain. The experiment was bold but fraught; despite its edgy content and even a young Brad Pitt appearing in one episode, broadcast schedules often placed it too early in the evening, stirring controversy over its graphic violence. Ultimately, only two seasons made it to air.
The New Wave of Serial Killers on Screen
Today’s television landscape could hardly be more different. Consider these recent adaptations:
- Chucky, now three seasons strong on Syfy and USA Network;
- Miramax holding TV rights to Halloween, though details remain scarce;
- Scream‘s serialized run on MTV between 2015 and 2019.
Each property experiments with format—some sticking closely to their cinematic roots like Chucky, others opting for anthology structures or alternate realities. As for Leatherface, one can hardly imagine him playing host à la Cryptkeeper; nonetheless, with A24 at the helm, expectations run high for an unconventional approach. In this era where genre boundaries blur and creative risks abound, television seems determined to let horror’s most legendary monsters run wild—chainsaws and all.