A24 Taps 'Obsession' Filmmaker Curry Barker To Direct 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre' Reimagining

Summary

• Upstart horror filmmaker Curry Barker has been officially tapped by A24 to direct a highly anticipated film reimagining of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre

• The project is being developed alongside a previously announced Texas Chainsaw television series produced by Glen Powell and directed by JT Mollner

• Barker’s hiring follows his rapid ascent in the genre, having made his feature debut with the viral $800 YouTube film Milk & Serial before securing a massive $14 million USD-plus deal for his recent festival hit Obsession

Leatherface is officially revving his chainsaw for a new generation. Following a heated, months-long bidding war last year that saw A24 ultimately secure the rights to The Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise, the indie powerhouse has found its director for the highly anticipated feature film reboot. Breakout filmmaker Curry Barker has been tapped to helm the project, which insiders are billing as a fresh “reimagining” of the iconic 1974 slasher classic originally created by Tobe Hooper and Kim Henkel.

Barker’s hiring marks a massive step in his swift Hollywood takeover. The director first broke through with Milk & Serial, an ingenious found-footage horror feature made for just $800 that became a viral sensation on YouTube in 2024. He recently followed that up with Obsession, an acclaimed thriller that sparked a massive bidding war out of the Toronto International Film Festival, eventually landing a $14 million distribution deal with Focus Features. Furthermore, Barker is currently in production on the Blumhouse project Anything But Ghosts, serving as the film’s director, co-writer, and star.

Details regarding Barker’s specific creative vision for the cannibalistic Sawyer family and their famed killer, Leatherface, are currently being kept tightly under wraps. However, the film is moving forward alongside a broader franchise expansion at A24. The studio is simultaneously developing a Texas Chainsaw television series from Barnstorm’s Glen Powell and Dan Cohen, with Strange Darling filmmaker JT Mollner attached to direct.

The new film adaptation will be produced by an experienced team of horror veterans, including Roy Lee and Steven Schneider of Spooky Pictures, alongside Stuart Manashil, and Exurbia Films’ Pat Cassidy, Ian Henkel, and original Texas Chain Saw Massacre co-writer Kim Henkel. Ben Ross of Image Nation will serve as executive producer.

While the Texas Chainsaw franchise has seen numerous reboots, prequels, and legacy sequels over its 50-year history, A24’s involvement promises an elevated and fiercely original take on the gruesome source material. With Barker officially in the director’s chair, horror fans can eagerly await to see how the studio plans to breathe terrifying new life into one of cinema’s most infamous families.