Given last weekend's extraordinary news that Texas Chainsaw 3D had scared off competition from Django Unchained and The Hobbit to take the top spot at the US box office, it was probably inevitable that the newly revivified slasher series would return. To nobody's great surprise, Millennium has now announced that Texas Chainsaw 4 is happening with immediate effect.

There are no specific details so far, other than a long list of producers and executive producers that includes Carl Mazzocone, Avi Lerner and original Chainsaw director Tobe Hooper. Let's consider that title though. It's perplexing, and we can only assume that it's a place-holder. On first glance it doesn't seem remarkable that Texas Chainsaw 4 should follow Texas Chainsaw 3D... except that 3D isn't a third instalment.

The only way it really makes sense is if we're taking Marcus Nispel's 2003 remake as the starting point; the next film would then be the fourth, following Nispel, 2006's The Beginning and Texas Chainsaw 3D. But TC3D explicitly ignores the new chronology of the remake and its prequel (as well as all other previous sequels) and goes back to immediately follow Hooper. So according to its own apparent chronology, the next film will be part 3. Or if we're just counting it with all the others, it's part 8. These are the sort of maths that allow Alexandra Daddario's character in 3D to somehow be pushing 40.

Whatever. Texas Chainsaw 4 will be about Leatherface waving a dangerous powertool around. That much is certain. "We signed on to the franchise, and it was a bloody good decision," says Lerner. "Lionsgate did a fantastic job distributing in the US, and we very much hope to partner with them on the next chapter." Production will start in Louisiana later this year. Texas Chainsaw 3D, directed by John Luessenhop, is in UK cinemas right now.