Upstart filmmaker Curry Barker is set to helm A24’s highly anticipated film reboot of “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre,” marking a significant mainstream Hollywood endeavor for the rising director. Insiders describe the project as a “reimagining” of the seminal 1974 horror classic, originally created by Tobe Hooper and Kim Henkel. While Barker’s specific vision for the iconic killer Leatherface and his victims remains under wraps, this new film will join a parallel “Texas Chainsaw” TV series being developed by Barnstorm’s Glen Powel and Dan Cohen, with JT Mollner directing.

Barker’s ascent in the film industry has been remarkably swift. His $800 debut feature, “Milk & Serial,” premiered on YouTube, and he is now taking on a project with one of the industry's most prestigious arthouse brands, A24. Focus Features is preparing to release Barker’s acclaimed festival player “Obsession” in less than a month, a film about a man whose desire for a female friend turns deadly, which secured a $14 million sale after a bidding war at the Toronto International Film Festival.

Currently, Barker is busy in production on “Anything But Ghosts” at Blumhouse, where he serves as director, co-writer, and star. This film centers on two fraudulent paranormal investigators who are forced to confront genuine supernatural entities and the inherent lies underpinning their business. Beyond his film work, Barker is also known as one half of the internet sketch comedy duo “That’s a Bad Idea” with his creative partner Cooper Tomlinson. He is represented by Underground Management, United Talent Agency, and The Lede Company.

The new “Chainsaw” film will be produced by Roy Lee and Steven Schneider of Spooky Pictures, alongside Stuart Manashil and Exurbia Films’ Pat Cassidy, Ian Henkel, and Kim Henkel. Ben Ross of Image Nation will serve as executive producer. The extensive “Texas Chainsaw” canon includes nine films, such as 1986’s “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2,” directed by Hooper and written by L.M. Kit Carson, and 1995’s “The Return of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre” (also known as “Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation”), written and directed by Henkel and starring Renée Zellweger and Matthew McConaughey. The intellectual property also encompasses a novel, a comic book series, and three video games.

A24 secured this coveted piece of intellectual property in a heated auction last year, formally announcing the acquisition in February. The company successfully fended off competing offers from various entities, including Blumhouse. Verve, which represented the rights, expressed its intent to partner with A24 due to its extensive reach and forward-looking creative approach, while simultaneously ensuring the preservation of the film’s enduring legacy.