“The Exorcist” will live again with a new trilogy of films that will carry on the story from the original movie with Ellen Burstyn returning to the franchise…
A $400 million mega-deal has been closed between Universal and Peacock to retain the rights to “The Exorcist” franchise with a new trilogy of films being developed by Blumhouse and Morgan Creek.
The new deal was announced on Monday along with details about the planned trilogy with the first film being directed by David Gordon Green, who is also behind the camera for the recent “Halloween” films that also come from Blumhouse.
Leslie Odom Jr. — best known for his recent work in “One Night in Miami” as well as “Hamilton” — will lead the cast for the new “Exorcist” movie with the first film set for release on October 13, 2023.
Perhaps the biggest casting news about “The Exorcist” update is the return of Ellen Burstyn, who will reprise her role as Chris MacNeil after she first portrayed that role in the original film back in 1973. Burstyn portrayed the mother who called upon a pair of priests to help her daughter (played by Linda Blair), who was possessed by a demon.
Much like the “Halloween” reboot that Green helmed in 2018 with two more sequels due out in 2021 and 2022, “The Exorcist” trilogy will continue the story first told in the original film from 1973 as a series of sequels rather than serve as some kind of remake.
“Blumhouse has always experienced incredible partnership from the team at Universal, and I’m grateful to Donna Langley and Jimmy Horowitz for believing in the vision of David’s film and having the foresight to be flexible with distribution, so the team feels top notch support through the lifeline of the film. They’re committed to theatrical exhibition and will also serving streaming viewers well by bringing an exciting franchise like the ‘Exorcist’ to Peacock too,” Jason Blum, CEO and Founder of Blumhouse, said in a statement. “I’m grateful to be working with David Robinson and the great team at Morgan Creek on this iconic franchise.”
As of now, Green is only attached to direct the first film in “The Exorcist” trilogy and he will also help to write the script alongside Scott Teems (Halloween Kills, The Quarry), Danny McBride (Halloween Kills, Halloween) based upon a story by Green and Peter Sattler (Broken Diamonds).
The original film “The Exorcist” has been hailed as one of the greatest horror films of all time and the movie was nominated for 10 Academy Awards including a Best Actress nod for Burstyn. The film also grossed a whopping $441 million at the box office, which made it one of the most successful horror films as well.
It was the first horror film ever nominated for Best Film at the Oscars.
Stay tuned for more information about the upcoming “Exorcist” trilogy as well as the Rewind of the Living Dead podcast with a special report on the news coming later this week!
