Earlier today, rumors surfaced that British actor Sam Strike (EastEnders) was playing the new Spider-Man, after the actor and his manager teased that he was up for the lead role in a "major US film." As it turns out, Sam Strike was not offered the lead in Spider-Man, but in Millennium Films' Texas Chainsaw Massacre prequel Leatherface. The Wrap reports that Sam Strike is "nearing a deal' to star in this origin story, set in the 1970s.

Sam Strike will play Jackson, the teenager who eventually grows up to become the maniacal Leatherface. No other story details were given at this time. We reported in October that the French filmmaking due Julien Maury and Alexandre Bustillo (Paris I'll Kill You, ABCs of Death 2) are directing from a screenplay by Seth M. Sherwood.

Texas Chainsaw 3D's Christa Campbell, Lati Grobman and Carl Mazzocone are reuniting to produce Leatherface alongside Les Weldon. Millennium's Millennium's Avi Lerner, Trevor Short, Boaz Davidson, John Thompson, Mark Gill and Beth Bruckner O'Brien are serving as executive producers. Sam Strike is best known for playing Johnny Carter on the hit U.K. soap opera EastEnders, and he has also starred on M.I. High.