A long, long time ago, before he was Coop and she was Irene, Matthew McConaughey and Renee Zellweger starred in the Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation. Thanks to Scream Factory, we’ll soon get to enjoy both of these early-doors performances when the movie makes its way to Blu-ray, but the film itself is the only place you’ll see the Hollywood stars, as both have been cut from the cover art entirely.
Presumably created by an artist who also decorates the rides at traveling fun fairs, what little resemblance the original images bare to the actors has been deemed too much, with the below artwork being cropped completely to cut out the lead pair. Scream Factory released a statement on the matter, explaining “we did have to remove it due to unforeseen issues with sub-licensing this title.” Hmmm.
Renee Zellweger, before her name needed an accent, landed an uncredited role in Richard Linklater’s influential Dazed and Confused and a part in the Winona Ryder vehicle Reality Bites, which kickstarted her career before it hit giddy heights with the Bridget Jones series.
McConaughey, of course, sprang to fame in the early 1990s, also starring in the Dazed and Confused alongside Zellweger, just one year before their turn in the Leatherface horror sequel. The actor then went on to trudge through a mire of courtroom dramas and romcom roles before his McConaissance saw him star in some of the greatest screen moments of the 21st century.
Perhaps at some point, Matthew McConaughey decided that since his career is currently at an all time-high, the use of his image on the cover artwork for Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation was no longer alright, alright, alright. At least, that’s our theory.