Things just got a whole lot more interesting on the Texas Chainsaw Massacre front. The franchise has been quiet for the past couple of years, but things have apparently been heating up behind the scenes, as Legendary Pictures is said to have closed a deal to produce new entries in the long-running horror series. What's more, Fede Alvarez has been tapped by the studio to produce a new movie in the franchise, which is currently being developed.

Before digging in, this goes back to reports from last year that stated Legendary was looking to get the rights to the franchise, which reverted back to writer/producer of the original 1974 Tobe Hooper classic Kim Henkel following the release of the failed prequel Leatherface. Now, according to a new report, Legendary has indeed quietly closed the deal and they are actively looking to get the horror icon back to his murderous ways on the big screen, with one of modern horror's most exciting voices attached to the project.

Details are slim, but it's said that Fede Alvarez, the filmmaker behind the Evil Dead remake and Don't Breathe, will produce the new entry. This is not being eyed as something Alvarez would direct. He's said to be seeking a director to bring on board. The most interesting part of the report is that the plan may be to make this as a direct sequel to The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. However, it's cautioned that this isn't firmed up and that plans are still being hatched. That said, taking that approach would make a great deal of sense, and there is a clear path laid out for how Legendary and Alvarez could accomplish such a thing, should they so choose.

2018's Halloween served as a direct sequel to John Carpenter's original 1978 slasher classic. It ignored every prior sequel in the franchise so that director David Gordon Green could go in with clean continuity and craft a much better story. Ultimately, that paid off in a big way as both critics and audiences alike responded, leading to a $255 million take at the box office. Two sequels, Halloween Kills and Halloween Ends are underway. It's easy to see how Legendary could see that and attempt to mirror such success with Leatherface.

Much like Halloween, this franchise has quite a few sequels of varying quality. The main thing is that the continuity, at best, is messy. The last entry in the original series was 1995's Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation, before the series was rebooted with a remake in 2003. That led, oddly, to a couple of prequels in Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning and Leatherface, which was a miss critically and did very little business. Ultimately, that's what paved the way for this deal with Legendary to happen. Be it a direct sequel to the Tobe Hooper classic, or something else entirely, this project appears to be taking shape. We'll be sure to keep you posted as any further details are made available. This news comes to us via Bloody Disgusting.