Leatherface is revving up his chainsaw again. New details about the upcoming reimagining of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre have made their way online.
With Leatherface making his debut all the way back in 1974 for Tobe Hooper's The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, the character is up there with Freddy Kruger and Jason Voorhees as one of the most recognizable horror movie villains of all time. While there have been various versions of Leatherface over the years, his latest iteration is something completely different.
According to The Illuminerdi, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre reboot will focus on an older Leatherface who is 60 years old. The site dropped details on what was supposed to the movie's first day of filming and included a number of casting calls. For Leatherface, the description explained he needs to be of a larger build: "He is not a bodybuilder, and may even be slightly obese. He also wears church clothes that are too tightly fitted." Although Leatherface is a non-speaking part, the character is described as "complex" and communicates with "guttural noises that range from a howling belly laugh to a pig-like squeal."
Elsewhere, the movie is looking for two female leads who are sisters. The story will revolve around Melody and Dreama. Melody is a "25-year old San Francisco moneymaker who drags her younger teenage sister with her to Texas on a business trip, out of fear of leaving her alone in the city." Dreama is an amateur photographer who is wheelchair-bound and "presumably disabled."
The only other character description is for Ms. Mc, a "warm, honest lady who has fostered abandoned children for decades." Ms. Mc has the ability to calm Leatherface, who is referred to as "Kenny" in the casting call.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre currently stands at eight movies, with the last entry — Leatherface — premiering in 2017. Horror expert Fede Álvarez (Evil Dead) is producing the new movie, while relative newcomers Ryan and Andy Tohill are signed on to direct.
Although a silent Leatherface is nothing new, the idea of an elderly Leatherface is something different. The site noted a similarity between the new Texas Chainsaw Massacre and David Gordon Green's Halloween, which brought back an older version of Michael Myers. As it stands, there's no news on whether this Leatherface is in canon with any of the previous versions. As COVID-19 has halted pre-production on The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, expect to find out more when work eventually starts.