Movies
Fede Alvarez Producing Next ‘Texas Chainsaw Massacre’ Film! [Exclusive]
Last August, Bloody Disgusting exclusively told you that Legendary Entertainment/Legendary Pictures was in the mix to not only develop new films based on Tobe Hooper‘s original slasher masterpiece The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, but also a television series.
In October 2017, Lionsgate released Leatherface, a prequel to Texas Chain Saw Massacre that was produced by Millenium Films. Sources told us before the film’s release that rights had turned back over to Kim Henkel, writer and producer on the 1974 slasher classic and also director of Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation (1994).
A lot has happened since the previous report. Not only are we told that Legendary has closed this deal, but we’re hearing exclusively that Fede Álvarez (Evil Dead, Don’t Breathe) is producing for Henkel and Legendary. To clarify, this is not meant as a directing vehicle for Álvarez, who is seeking a filmmaker to attach to the project.
While plans aren’t set in stone, we’re hearing that the hope is to make a direct sequel to Hooper’s ’74 film, similar to what Blumhouse and Universal have done with Halloween. Unfortunately, Texas Chain Saw Massacre‘s Final Girl, Marilyn Burns, passed away in 2014. It will be interesting to see how they continue the story without her, although it could just focus on the current state of the Sawyer family. (Make sure to read John Squires’ piece on the confused Texas Chainsaw Massacre timeline.)
You can read about the potential implications of the Legendary Pictures deal by clicking here. We’ll update you with any fresh news as it comes in.
Movies
‘Backrooms’ Director Kane Parsons Is No Fan of Generative AI: “Defeats the Purpose Entirely for Me”
There has been a lot of talk recently about filmmakers embracing generative AI as part of the filmmaking process, from Darren Aronofsky to Martin Scorsese. But what about filmmakers that are against the use of Gen AI for creative pursuits? You can count 20-year-old Backrooms director Kane Parsons among that group, which should give you some hope for the future.
In a new chat with The Australian, the self-taught young filmmaker makes it crystal clear that he won’t be using generative AI in any of his upcoming filmmaking projects.
“I think I’m in the same boat as most well-adjusted people,” Parsons tells the outlet. “If I could snap my fingers and make generative AI disappear forever, I probably would. Creatively, I get no enjoyment from using those tools. It defeats the purpose entirely for me.”
“What interests me more is interrogating it artistically,” Parsons notes. “We already live in a world where you walk outside and there are billboards and signs that are obvious AI slop. That’s become part of our visual reality. To me, generative AI feels less like innovation than a symptom of a broader cultural and economic rot.”
He explains, “I’m interested in using that iconography in art – not using AI to make the art itself, but examining what it represents. I definitely want to explore it further in future projects.”
Kane Parsons also notes during the interview with The Australian, “… there’s so much at stake and so many genuinely harmful consequences already happening.”
Backrooms marks young prodigy Kane Parsons’ feature directorial debut, and it’s based on his own series of YouTube videos that were brought to life using Blender, the open-source 3D computer graphics software suite. So it’s no surprise that Parsons, who has hand-made his filmmaking career up to this point, isn’t buying into the hoopla around Generative AI.
His debut feature is the #1 movie in the world, so perhaps he’s onto something.
What’s next from Kane Parsons, you ask? Stay tuned…
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