The director reportedly behind an in-the-works Texas Chainsaw Massacre reboot cast doubt on his involvement. For months, there have been rumors swirling that the classic horror franchise is getting set to rise from the dead once more, with several big-name studios (namely, A24, Neon, Netflix, and Paramount) all bidding to be the ones to bring the spine-chilling fan series back to life.
JT Mollner, the writer of the upcoming acclaimed Stephen King adaptation, The Long Walk, has reportedly pitched his version of the reboot, but nothing official has been announced about the project. Mollner has amassed an impressive list of writing and directing credits in the last few years, including 2023's Strange Darling and the 2016 western Outlaws and Angels.
In an exclusive conversation with The Direct while promoting his upcoming film, The Long Walk, Mollner threw some cold water on the possibility of tackling the long-rumored Texas Chainsaw Massacre reboot.
When broaching the subject, Mollner said that he thinks the first two Texas Chainsaw Massacre movies are "perfect" and he is not "into remaking perfect films:"
Q: "I know you've heard this a lot, but you know, you are obviously rumored for a new 'Texas Chainsaw Massacre' film, but I'm not going to ask the same question everyone asked. So I'm going to take a hypothetical angle here. Hypothetically if that were true, and you're responsible for bringing Leatherface to screen for another installment, what would you personally be most excited for to bring with that character to screen and express in a new entry? What would you want to do?"
A: "Hypothetically? I, hypothetically, I think the first film is perfect. So, and I'll tell you what, I think the second film is perfect in its own way. I love the first two 'Texas Chainsaw Massacres.'... And I think, yeah, I think, I think I'll leave it at that... I'm not into remaking perfect films."
"Remaking movies is something I'm kind of allergic to," the Long Walk scribe continued. He then definitively stated, "I don't think you'll ever see a Texas Chainsaw Massacre...that was made by me:"
"I've said this a lot, and so, you know, remaking, remaking movies is something I'm kind of allergic to, especially good movies. So, you know, it's just that idea is not specifically interesting to me. So I don't think you'll ever see a 'Texas Chainsaw Massacre' movie, a remake, or even a sequel that was, that was made by me. It seems very unlikely."
Mollner ended his thoughts on the topic by raining even more praise on the Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise as a whole, calling the first film "in the conversation for the scariest movie ever made:"
"But I love those—that first movie is, I think, in the conversation for the scariest movie ever made. It's certainly, you know, in the top three. It's amazing. It's also well composed. You know, Tobe Hooper, like people forget how well composed that movie is. The shots... I was just talking to friend of mine the other day about it, and it's just a beautiful, beautiful movie."
This follows a Deadline report from March, which stated that Mollner was one name that came up in the conversation about a potential Texas Chainsaw Massacre reboot. It has also been mentioned that Top Gun: Maverick star Glen Powell would be a part of Mollner's pitch and that it is understood to be a TV series; however, the project remains off the books in any official capacity.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise dates back to 1974 and has spawned nine sequels (including one 2022 first attempt at a reboot). The scare-inducing horror series follows a masked chainsaw-wielding killer known as Leatherface, terrorizing unsuspecting travellers in rural Texas.
Will JT Mollner Make Texas Chainsaw Massacre?
One would assume that with JT Mollner outright saying he has no interest in a potential Texas Chainsaw Massacre reboot, it means that he is 100% not working on the project; however, that will not be good enough for some people.
The speculation surrounding the writer/director and the long-running horror franchise is too loud to completely discount his involvement with a single quote.
Mollner mentioned that he does not want to "remake" a Texas Chainsaw movie. Sure, he thinks it is "unlikely" fans will see a reboot, remake, or sequel set within the beloved franchise, but that does not mean it could never happen.
There is always the chance that this is how the Strange Darling writer plays coy about his involvement in the project, with a new, original take on the series hiding in his back pocket yet to be announced.
Sadly, with no official news on the reboot being made public yet, fans will simply have to sit and wait to see if the acclaimed franchise starts its chainsaw up again at some point in the future.
