If there has ever been a franchise that failed to live up to its potential then it is The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Although the 1974 original is considered a seminal classic, worthy of being placed alongside Psycho and Night of the Living Dead as important works of art, the subsequent series has been inconsistent at best. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, released over a decade later, replaced the sadistic tension of the original with over-the-top gore (courtesy of Tom Savini) and a camp tone, a decision that strongly divided fans.
But neither Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre III or The Return of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre managed to keep the cycle moving and the franchise eventually withered and died. Following Platinum Dunes’ sleazy and ultra-violent remake in 2003, producers attempted to restart the series with a disappointing prequel The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning, which once again brought everything to a standstill.
Two days ago it was revealed that John Luessenhop (Takers) was set to direct a new sequel to the remake, this time without the assistance of Platinum Dunes. Now Bloody Disgusting have reported that a script has been submitted to the producers and it is now being reworked by another writer; “Debra Sullivan, Adam Marcus and Stephen Susco have turned in drafts the third Chainsaw flick that supposedly picks up immediately where Tobe Hooper’s original left off before flashing forward 35 years. An update to the story is that Kirsten Elms (writer of Gold Circle and director F. Gary Gray’s Hair of the Dog) was hired to re-tool the script under the guidance Luessenhop.”
What are your thoughts on this? Is this a franchise worth saving or has this concept gone as far as it can go?
6 Responses to Script for Leatherface 3D Currently Being Rewritten