Taylor Sheridan Battles Top Studios for Texas Chainsaw Massacre Rights

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As a movie enthusiast, I can’t help but admire Taylor Sheridan‘s remarkable portfolio of unique content produced for Paramount. Yet, it’s intriguing to ponder about his potential desire to delve into well-established intellectual properties too.

As I’ve learned, it seems that Sheridan is said to be keen on the Texas Chainsaw Massacre intellectual property. However, he’s going to face some tough rivals when it comes to acquiring the rights for this legendary horror franchise, which encompasses movies, TV shows, live events, and video games. In fact, approximately six production studios or streaming platforms are also eyeing the property. Verve, the company that has held the IP rights since 2017, is gearing up for a bidding war starting June 9. At this moment, Sheridan, hailing from Texas, would only be involved as a producer in any future Texas Chainsaw Massacre production.

Through his hit neo-Western drama series “Yellowstone,” Sheridan has solidified his position as a significant force in Hollywood. Airing from 2018 to 2024, this Paramount Network original show spanned five seasons and 53 episodes, leading to the expansion of a full franchise. This collection now includes two prequels – “1883” and “1923” – and three upcoming sequel spinoffs: “The Madison,” “Y: Marshalls,” and an as-yet-unnamed series focusing on Cole Hauser’s Rip and Kelly Reilly’s Beth Dutton. Furthermore, Sheridan has also created a number of other popular shows for Paramount+, such as “1923” and the Billy Bob Thornton-led “Landman,” both set in Texas.

Who Else Is Interested in the Texas Chainsaw Massacre Rights?

Other significant figures are expressing interest in the Texas Chainsaw Massacre intellectual property, planning to present their ideas about the infamous cannibalistic character Leatherface to Verve and the IP holders. One of these individuals is Oz Perkins, who has garnered attention for films like Longlegs and The Monkey. He’s partnered with Bryan Bertino, the director of The Strangers, to submit a joint proposal. If NEON secures the rights, they would collaborate on the script, with Bertino directing this Texas Chainsaw adaptation as well. However, this version would only materialize if NEON wins the IP rights.

Jordan Peele’s MonkeyPaw Productions is eyeing the Texas Chainsaw Massacre remake, but only in a producing role. Since MonkeyPaw has a production deal with Universal Studios, it seems that the project might land there if their proposal wins. Meanwhile, J.T. Mollner and Roy Lee from Strange Darling Productions, along with A24, Glen Powell, are also in contention for the rights to Texas Chainsaw. This team is reportedly planning to adapt it into a TV series. Furthermore, Roy Lee separately has a feature film pitch for the franchise that could be produced at Netflix if approved.

There’s a lot of buzz in Hollywood about reviving the Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise, which started with the original film back in 1974. The movie earned over $30 million on a budget of just $140,000, giving birth to a franchise that now includes eight more films, three video games, and numerous comics.

The original The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is currently streaming on Prime Video.

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2025-06-06 23:22