Is Leatherface a Girl in the Texas Chainsaw Prequel?

Last April, new details about the long-awaitedTexas Chainsaw MassacreprequelLeatherfacewere revealed, teasing the plot has quite the interesting twist. In March, it was reported that British actorSam Strikehad been cast as the title character, but it was later explained that he is actually playing one of four characters who could beLeatherface. Last week, producerChrista Campbellrevealed the first photo from this horror prequel, which hints thatLeatherfacemay actually be a young girl.

Sam Strikeis joined bySam Coleman,James BloorandJessica Madsenas the four teenagers who escape from a mental institution, all of whom have an affinity for wieldingchainsaws. They kidnap a young nurse (Vanessa Grasse) as they make their escape, with a local sheriff (Stephen Dorff) trying to track them down. By the end of the movie, one of theseteenagerswill ultimately be revealed asLeatherface. This new photo courtesy of Christa Campbell’s Instagram account gives us our first look atJessica Madsen’s character, who may very well end up beingLeatherface, as she is playing one of the inmates at the heart of this mystery.

The photo featuresJessica Madsen’s character looking out from a barbecue restaurant, which could very well be the Gulf Oil gas station andBBQ restaurantthat was featured in the originalTexas Chainsaw Massacre. Ironically, the site of the original BBQ restaurant, the Last Chance Gas Station in Bastrop, Texas, is being turned into aTexas Chainsaw Massacreresort, which is reportedly set to open in mid-July. It isn’t known if this site was used forLeatherfaceor not, which is set in the 1970s, although a specific year hasn’t been given for the prequel.

Of course, we won’t find out for sure which of these four characters will becomeLeatherfaceuntil the movie hits theaters. But there hasn’t been a release date set at this time. The supporting cast includesAngela Bettisas the Sawyer matriarch andLili Taylorin an unspecified role.Leatherfaceis currently in post-production. With the release of this photo, perhaps the first trailer is just around the corner. And would it be so surprising if Leatherface was revealed as a girl? Gender-swapping is a popular trend nowadays. You need look no further than theGhostbustersreboot, which features an all-girl line-up of haint hunters, orThe Mummyreboot, which turns the title monster into an ancient princess, to see that is true.

Julien MauryandAlexandre Bustillo(Among the Living) are directing theLeatherface prequelfrom a script bySeth M. Sherwood. Hopefully we’ll be getting more photos from producerChrista Campbellas post-production continues onLeatherface, revealing the other teenage psychopaths who may or may not beLeatherface. We’ll be sure to keep you posted with more updates onLeatherface, but until then, check out the first photo below.