While certainly not a triumph (or indeed, even necessary), this year’s Leatherface was probably the best Texas Chainsaw film released this century. While playing as a prequel to the 1974 original, it is more specifically a prequel to 2013’s Texas Chainsaw 3D (itself billed as a sequel to Tobe Hooper’s classic shocker), fitting more snugly alongside the more recent franchise entries. If further films bearing the Texas Chainsaw moniker are to come however (and it seems a safe bet), they will presumably need to reboot once again, with Campbell Grobman Films and Millennium Films having lost the rights to the property.
Campbell Grobman – who produced Leatherface’s two most recent onscreen outings – were originally slated to make five Texas Chainsaw films, although clearly that is no longer the case. Answering a fan query regarding a follow-up to Leatherface on Twitter, producer Christa Campbell wrote: “I loved this film and I’m very proud. Unfortunately because of the time it took to release it we lost the rights sadly… so no .. not from us at least.”
So whoever’s hands the franchise ends up in, we can presumably expect another new take on the story next time around. While the threat of reboot fatigue is a very real one, the Campbell Grobman films have hardly wowed fans of Tobe Hooper’s original (although Leatherface was definitely a big step up from Texas Chainsaw 3D), so maybe there’s reason for hope. We’ll see.
Words: Kevan Farrow (@KevanX)
