Gunnar Hansen as Leatherface in THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE
© FlixMix
Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The
By: Coming AttractionsDate: Thursday, August 28, 2003
Genre:
Horror/Remake.
Studio:
New Line Cinema.
Production Company:
Platinum Dunes.
Project Phase:
In the Can.
Who's In It:
Jessica Biel; Jonathan Tucker; Eric Balfour; R. Lee Ermey; Erica Leerhsen; Mike Vogel; David Dorfman; Heather Kafka; Andrew Bryniarski (Leatherface).
Who's Making It:
Marcus Nispel (Director); Scott Kosar (Screenwriter); Michael Bay, Brad Fuller (Producers); a remake of the 1974 film The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
Premise:
A group of young people are terrorized by a mad family of cannibals lead by the chainsaw-wielding Leatherface.
Release Date:
October 17, 2003.
Comments:
Upon hearing about Michael Bay spearheading a remake of the 1970s horror classic about a man with a chainsaw and... problems...Cinescape caught up with original MASSACRE director Tobe Hooper, whose original script is supposedly the launching point for the remake.
According to the trade papers, he's involved in the project. Is that true?
"Not really," Hooper told us. "I didn't have to sign off on it. I'm involved kind of peripherally... I don't have the slightest idea of what I'm going to see. I hope it is interesting. The times seem to be right for it. I think it's a matter of if they dig up enough of the spirit of these crazy times we're in because really that's what CHAINSAW was and is. The original bubbled up out of its times and in these times, as far as that goes, are far richer and deeper with horror than back then. We'll see. You have to throw a net over a spirit that you hope you conjure up."
So will the film be based on his original script?
"It's going to be different," Hooper said. "It is different. I don't think they're doing shot-by-shot or anything like that. I do know they're in prep and they've found locations and there will be a house, so maybe it is close. Leatherface is back."
Scoop Feedback:
December 5, 2001... Michael Bay wants to remake the 1974 horror classic The Texas Chainsaw Massacre for the 21st century. Creature Corner broke the news first yesterday by saying Bay's new production company, Platinum Dunes, created to make low-budget feature films, has set its attentions upon remaking Tobe Hooper's Massacre.
According to Creature Corner, the remake of Massacre will be told in flashback format from the perspective of Sally Hardesty (played in the original film by Marilyn Burns). After surviving Leatherface's house of horror, Sally will tell her terrifying tale to authorities and the audience follows along for the ride.
13th Street confirmed Creature Corner's exclusive and added that Platnum Dunes must now own the rights to the property because the search for a screenwriter is already underway. The film will cost somewhere between $5 million to $10 million dollars.
"These films will be done on the cheap," Bay told Varety when Platinum Dunes was first announced. "We don't want to do a lot of pictures, no more than a couple a year ... these small films have a lot of profit potential. You can make them for $5 million, and if they have two good weekends, they're wildly profitable."
[Originally appeared on Creature Corner, 13th Street.]
January 31, 2002... Today's Variety reports that original Texas Chainsaw Massacre director Tobe Hooper and original screenwriter Kim Henkel are both writing the remake's script. Whether or not their draft will be used for the new movie remains to be seen.
It was also revealed that Michael Bay has filmed a three-minute long clip to promote the remake to potential investors. Foreign sales agent Good Machine International will screen Bay's promo at the upcoming American Film Market held in Santa Monica. [Scoops sent in by Tom Mieczkowski, 'goldred33' and 'Null'; originally reported by Variety.]
June 19, 2002... Jessica Biel (WB's 7th Heaven) and Eric Balfour (HBO's Six Feet Under) will topline the remake of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. New Line Cinema has agreed to distribute the picture with Marcus Nispel directing from a script by Scott Kosar. [Source: Variety.]
September 4, 2002... Today Fangoria published its first report from the set of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre remake. What the boys at Fango saw might give horror fans some hope that the remake won't do a disservice to the original Massacre. "Skepticism (remake? why?) has turned to optimism as conversations with the cast and crew reveal a communal knowledge of and passion for Tobe Hooper's original classic, and the fact that the crew includes cinematographer Daniel Pearl, who lensed the 1974 original," reported Fangoria.
Also learned was the names of additional cast members including R. Lee Ermey (Seven, Full Metal Jacket) Eric Balfour Fox's 24) and Erica Leerhsen (Blair Witch 2). But what made us sit up and pay real close attention was the revelation that the identity of who's playing the new Leatherface is being kept a secret -- and that the actor is well-known. "The face behind that mask is not the role's originator Gunnar Hansen, but instead a musclebound and ponytailed veteran of the silver and small screens whose name is being kept from the public at this point," reports Fango.
"No matter; the important thing is that he filled that stitched mask with gusto, demonstrated perfectionism in his performance and looked terrifying doing so." [Scoop sent in by 'ZenKat'; originally appeared on Fangoria.]
The reason Fangoria's scoop means so much to us is that just a couple of hours earlier we received a very interesting scoop from someone who claims to know the identity of who's playing Leatherface. "I'm not gonna say where I got my information from, but I will tell you what it is," said the fellow who wished to be known as "Swedish Meatball". "The secret actor who's playing Leatherface is...Dolph Lundgren. Do the checking if you don't believe me." [We like those kind of 'Swedish Meatballs'.]
We didn't even know the producers of the new Texas Chainsaw Massacre were going to keep the identity of the new Leatherface a secret until today arrived. Is the "musclebound and ponytailed veteran of the silver and small screens" none other than the Swedish star of Universal Soldier, Masters of the Universe and Rocky IV? If it is, we say good for Dolph!
September 5, 2002... It looks like yesterday's scoop from "Swedish Meatball" that Dolph Lundgren was playing Leatherface in the remake of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre has proven to be incorrect. Just this afternoon Fangoria's bulletin board moderator, Uncle Creepy, received official word from the production
office that Lundgren is not playing Leatherface nor is he in the picture. Looks like we had a bad Meatball, eh? [Thanks to Fangoria for being our Ivan Drago.]
"Swedish Meatball" must have been reading Fangoria too because he got back in touch with us this afternoon to offer an explanation as to why he told us yesterday why he believed the Dolphmeister was the man with the chainsaw...
"I've seen my scoop shot down by many people on many boards, and according to the Fangoria.com message board--which apparently has a person with 'inside info' running it--Dolph IS NOT in the movie.
"Well, I'm stumped. I am. So I'll tell you why I thought Dolph is playing Leatherface...
"You see, I live in Texas and I'm somewhat close to a woman apart of the production. When I asked on the phone who's playing Leatherface, she told me she couldn't tell me, but after a lot of pleading she gave me a great hint...she told me think of the movie Universal Soldier.
"Well, I knew from that very moment that Van Dam wasn't our favorite chainsaw-weilding maniac, so to keep with the tradition of having a somewhat 'big name' behind this secrecy of Leatherface, I assumed it was Dolph. But now that this info has supposedly been shot down, I can only assume, if the Universal Soldier thing is true, that ol' Leatherface will be played by Ralph Moeller.
"If you remember, he was as big as Dolph Lundgren in the movie, and he's muscular...very muscular. Remember when he played Brackus in Best of the Best 2?
"Of course, even though he's been in a lot of movies, I wouldn't call him a veteran of the silver and small screen.
"My money is still on Dolph. Sorry if I caused a problem, guys..."
["Swedish Meatball" is still being served by the kitchen staff.]
OK, so let's assume Swedish Meatball isn't out to hose us, and that he jumped to conclusions and believed Leatherface was Dolph Lundgren because of this apparent tip-off that someone from Universal Soldier was playing the character. Now that Fangoria has shot down the Lundgren rumor, Meatball's next choice would be Gladiator co-star Ralph Moeller, who certainly fits the description of muscular actor who's appeared on television and in movies. Moeller played the title role in the Conan TV series from a couple of years ago, and his career credit list shows a breadth of feature film and television work. And he did have a small role in Universal Soldier...
But if we assume SM's scoop is accurate, it could be someone else from Universal Soldier...like Tom "Tiny" Lister, Jr., a guy who's played the President of Earth in The Fifth Element, a convict in Austin Powers in Goldmember or the Klingon Klaang in the pilot episode of UPN's Enterprise. Lister's list of credits is just as diverse as Moeller's, too. The only thing that would make us hedge our bets on it being Moeller moreso than Lister is that the Fango article that set this whole thing off also claimed the actor had a ponytail -- and in every film or TV show we've seen him in, he's bald.
Yeah, you're right, that ain't much to take to the bank -- but we never said this job was an exact science!
October 15, 2002... According to The Internet Movie Database, big guy Andrew Bryniarski is playing the new Leatherface in the movie. A number of readers have emailed us with this information but so far the production hasn't confirmed or denied Bryniarski's involvement with the production.
Bryniarski has starred in numerous films including Any Given Sunday, Rollerball, Pearl Harbor and Batman Returns. He also appeared as the cult comic book anti-hero Lobo in a short student made film. [The first ones were from 'KiLLa Craig', Phil and 'Langhagen'.]
January 10, 2003... Latino Review has published texaschainsawmassacre/tx_massacre.html" target="_blank">the first two images from the remake of Massacre. If you were hoping for a look at Leatherface, you'll be disappointed...but there is a close-up of Jessica Biel looking scared and sweaty. [First look from Latino Review.]
July 18, 2003... Leatherface is coming back.
The first trailer to the remake of THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE has hit the Web and is available for download. By clicking here you can select what size you would like to view the trailer for New Line Cinema's upcoming sawfest.
THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE is scheduled for release on October 17. [Apple trailer website.]
August 28, 2003... New Line Cinema has added two new photo galleries to its official website for THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE today. The photos primarily consist of the pretty stars of the film but there are also snaps showing some of the more...unusual characters we'll see in the picture. In case you didn't know, MASSACRE is about a group of young adults who are trapped in the middle of nowhere with a family of crazed cannibals. Unbelievably, it's worse than that: one of the meat-eaters has a chainsaw.
[New Line Cinema.]
