Curry Barker Lands A24's Texas Chainsaw Massacre After $15 Million Obsession Sale
Updated
Updated · Hollywood Reporter · May 18
Curry Barker Lands A24's Texas Chainsaw Massacre After $15 Million Obsession Sale
2 articles · Updated · Hollywood Reporter · May 18
A24 has tapped 25-year-old Curry Barker to write, direct and produce a new Texas Chainsaw Massacre, with the deal closing as Obsession opened in theaters.
Barker reached the franchise after Obsession broke out from TIFF, where the $750,000 debut sparked a bidding war and sold to Focus Features for about $15 million.
The momentum accelerated again this weekend as Obsession grossed $17.2 million domestically, well above $10 million projections, while holding strongly with just an 11% Saturday-to-Sunday drop.
Roy Lee and Jason Blum also moved quickly on Barker's next film, teaming up to acquire horror-comedy Anything But Ghosts before Obsession's release.
The Chainsaw deal gives Barker unusual creative control for a young director on major IP, capping a nine-month rise from YouTube shorts to one of Hollywood's most in-demand horror filmmakers.
Is Curry Barker's path from YouTube to a blockbuster hit a lucky fluke or Hollywood's new blueprint for discovering talent?
Could one breakout performance in 'Obsession' finally shatter the Academy Awards' infamous bias against the horror genre?
Will a DIY director's vision survive Hollywood while rebooting a major franchise like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre?