Rob Zombie Almost Directed a ‘Texas Chainsaw Massacre’ Sequel [Exclusive]

EXCLUSIVE: A barely funny April Fool’s Day prank went viral as someone joked that Rob Zombie would be returning to the director’s chair for A24’s forthcoming reboot of Tobe Hooper’s The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974).

It jostled a memory loose, and I remembered a time when Rob Zombie, the musician-turned-filmmaker with House of 1000 Corpses, was attached to direct one of the many Texas Chainsaw sequels.

In fact, Zombie, who also directed The Devil’s Rejects, The Lords of Salem, Halloween, and Halloween II, was helping to develop a sequel to Lionsgate’s 2013 Texas Chainsaw 3D, which performed pretty well for the studio.

Texas Chainsaw 3D, directed by John Luessenhop, opened at No. 1 with a $21 million debut and grossed about $47 million worldwide, but was widely panned by critics for its weak script and continuity issues despite modest commercial success.

Zombie had been working on the screenplay for a direct follow-up, but ultimately stepped away from the project to direct his crowd-sourced slasher 31.

The producers and Lionsgate would eventually hand the keys to French filmmakers Alexandre Bustillo and Julien Maury (Inside) for the next installment, which would become Leatherface.

The film would serve as a prequel exploring Leatherface’s origins and received largely negative reviews in a limited release.

Zombie was primed to direct a Chainsaw film, but let’s be honest, House of 1000 Corpses, The Devil’s Rejects, and 3 From Hell effectively form his own Chainsaw-inspired trilogy.

Thoughts?