A24 went into a competitive auction, beat out Blumhouse, acquired one of the most difficult pieces of IP in the genre, and then gave the job to a director with one feature film to his name. That is a wild risk to take on such a young talent. But also, it’s Curry Barker, so we get it.
Curry Barker is writing and directing a reimagining of the 1974 original created by Tobe Hooper and Kim Henkel. As we have talked about before, A24 announced the acquisition back in February with no director attached. At least we have that figured out.
Who Curry Barker Is
Barker got here through Obsession, a film he made for under a million dollars that played TIFF Midnight Madness and sold to Focus Features for north of $14 million. He built the career that got him into that room starting on YouTube, which is the kind of origin story that should not end with A24 handing you a legacy franchise before your first wide release even opens. And yet, here we are.
The Franchise and the People Behind It
The 1974 original has since produced eight sequels and remakes of varying quality. The franchise has been a problem for a long time and everyone who has touched it since the original has found a different way to confirm that. A24 formally announced the acquisition earlier this year after winning the rights in a competitive bid.
The producers are Roy Lee, Steven Schneider of Spooky Pictures, and Stuart Manashil. Executive producers include Pat Cassidy, Ian Henkel, and Kim Henkel of Exurbia Films, along with Ben Ross of Image Nation. Kim Henkel co-created the original with Tobe Hooper.
One More Thing
There is also a separate Texas Chainsaw Massacre TV series in development at A24 from JT Mollner. Different project. The film and the series are happening at the same studio simultaneously, which means A24 now has more Leatherface in development than anyone has since the franchise was actually relevant. Barker’s film has no release date yet. Obsession opens May 15.
Roy Lee and Barnstorm are represented by CAA. Schneider is represented by UTA. Exurbia Films is represented by Verve and attorney Marios Rush. Barker’s representation is TK.
