The film is unlikely to have a sizeable fan following, but, those who loved the Texas Chainsaw Massacre’s prequel Leatherface this year, are not going to be lucky if they wanted to see that story evolve further. Leatherface faced a lot of hardships to get itself released, and that created a roadblock regarding the franchise rights. Campbell Grobman Films and Millennium Films, the two studios that made the recent Texas Chainsaw films, took such a long time to come out with Leatherface that they ended up losing the franchise rights. That also means that a reboot is imminent.
Producer Christa Cambell who stood by Leatherface and claims being proud of it confirmed this news. In any case, Leatherfacewas a dud and considering the quality; the studio couldn’t even work out a timely release plan which led to the rights getting lapsed. That is going to have serious repercussions for the future of this legendary horror franchise. However, it is uncertain as to which direction will it take as of now. This is what Campbell said on Twitter when a fan questioned her about the chances of a Leatherface sequel.
“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.”
The “not from us” remark is very crucial. Leatherface happened to be a prequel which described the origin story of the famous killer from the Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Therefore, a real and direct sequel to the film is unlikely, due to that factor alone. However, it is not totally ruled out that there could be some sort of extension, at least theoretically. However, if Campbell Crobman Films/Millennium Films won’t do it then who? As of now, it is not known as to who holds the franchise rights and what the future of the franchise is.
Eventually, this might turn out to be good. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is a franchise in crisis. The original movie had four sequels, culminating with The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation. The original movie was remade in 2003. After that a prequel Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning was released. That takes us to the present series, which began with Texas Chainsaw 3D. That film was a sequel to the original film by Tobe Hooper. This year’s Leatherface followed that film, and it officially seems to finish this series of films.
Whosoever gets the rights now, is likely to make a Texas Chainsaw reboot someday. Although Leatherface tanked, there is potential here. They can also further the story narrated in the recent films, as suggested by Christa Campbell in that tweet. However, that might be unlikely. What’s the most likely thing then? A full-fledged reboot! Horror franchises are perennial. They only get remade, whether good or bad.
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