'Texas Chainsaw' director shooting 'Titans' sequel

LOS ANGELES – Jonathan Liebesman ("The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning") has signed a deal to direct a sequel to "Clash of the Titans."

Liebesman had been in contention to nab the gig since early June, with negotiations stretching through the summer. Money was a factor, as was the hurdle of overcoming the negative perception of this year's initial installment.

The movie, a remake of the 1981 original, became a worldwide hit for Warner Bros. and financier Legendary Pictures, grossing more than $491 million, although it garnered many negative reviews.

The studio is hoping to right the wrongs, shooting it in 3D (as opposed to have it added during postproduction, as with the first movie). Sam Worthington and Gemma Arterton are among the actors expected to return for the second installment.

Executives settled on Liebesman after seeing footage of "Battle: Los Angeles," the director's upcoming "Black Hawk Down"-style alien-invasion movie, which showed he could handle large-scale action and intense visual effects. The footage also impressed at Comic-Con, where is stood out from forthcoming wave of alien-invasion flicks.