Last month, it was reported that Longlegs director Osgood Perkins is among the heavy hitters interested in tackling the next installment in the Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise.
During Neon’s The Next Wave of Horror panel at San Diego Comic-Con this weekend, a fan asked if Perkins would cast a neurodivergent actor as Leatherface since many viewers read the character as being on the autism spectrum… if, of course, he’s actually involved in the next installment.
“My producing partners and I, we went down a path with Texas Chainsaw. To be honest with you, I don’t know what’s happening with it, but we were certainly in the conversation for it,” Perkins noted, indicating he’s not (yet) officially attached to the franchise.
“What’s lovely about these people who own the rights — it’s the original writer [Kim Henkel] — is that they really care about Leatherface.”
Osgood Perkins continues, “There’s a fondness about his character and the idea that he saw bad things when he was younger, and because he is neurodivergent, he had his difficulties processing, and that’s when turned him into a quote ‘monster.’
“It goes back to Frankenstein or wherever you want to be with monsters that are usually the misunderstood, sensitive type. I think your idea is beautiful. I don’t see any reason why not.”
The filmmaker also shared a funny anecdote about his experience.
“The rights holders provided us with a guide book that they had put together. ‘These are the things that we think are important, these are the things we’d love to see, these are the things we don’t like,’ so on and so forth,” Perkins explained.
“One of the things was ‘Leatherface should never have a love interest.’ My partners and I were like, ‘Well, now you’ve said it!’”
Other names who have reportedly met with Texas Chainsaw franchise reps Verve include Jordan Peele, J.T. Mollner, Glen Powell, and Taylor Sheridan. At this time, nobody – Perkins included – is officially attached to helm the next installment. Stay tuned for more.
