Russell Crowe is still interested in returning as Father Gabriele Amorth for a sequel to The Pope’s Exorcist. While speaking with ScreenRant’s Ash Crossan, Crowe discussed his changing attitude toward sequels and revealed that he has been approached about returning as the real-life Vatican exorcist.
The Pope’s Exorcist is actually one of the rare Crowe movies for which a follow-up has already been publicly announced. Producer Jeff Katz announced in May 2024 that a sequel had been given the greenlight, after Crowe had previously said the movie was intended to launch a trilogy. The latest comments from Crowe don’t announce a new development for the sequel, but they do make it clear that the Oscar-winning actor remains open to reprising the role.
Speaking with ScreenRant, Crowe explained that he spent much of his career deliberately avoiding sequels because they don’t always turn out well. He has since changed his mind after seeing some follow-ups surpass expectations and become iconic in their own right.
“There are certain characters where I’ve been approached about a sequel, like Gabriele Amorth in The Pope’s Exorcist. They want to do another one of those, and that’s such a rich character who wrote 12 books about his experiences, and we’ve only just scratched the surface. So that would be interesting to do.”
Crowe isn’t saying that he’s just been asked whether he would like to make another movie, but he is confirming that the sequel remains something he has been approached about, reiterating that he sees plenty of material left to explore through the character of Father Amorth.
Russell Crowe Has Changed His Mind About Sequels
Crowe’s comments came while discussing the fact that, despite his long career, he has never actually made a sequel to one of his movies. He said that was a conscious decision for the first 20 or 30 years of his career
“Because I grew up in an era where a sequel was always a really bad version of the first one, where the same thoughts and processes and love and focus and attention hadn’t been paid. They were just looking at it as a financial situation: ‘The brand is out there. There’s an audience for it. Make another one.’ So it was always negative, but that’s since changed dramatically, where some of the sequels have gone on to be iconic or legendary over and above the original film. So, yeah, I’m not as closed to it now as I was.”
The Pope’s Exorcist Was Intended to Be the Start of a Trilogy
Directed by Overlord filmmaker Julius Avery, The Pope’s Exorcist was released in 2023 and starred Crowe as Father Gabriele Amorth, the real-life priest who served as the chief exorcist of the Vatican. The movie was based on Amorth’s accounts of his experiences performing exorcisms. Screen Gems had acquired rights connected to Amorth’s life and his memoirs, An Exorcist Tells His Story and An Exorcist: More Stories, along with other accounts of his work.
Crowe previously said in 2024 that the producers had originally received approval for not just one sequel, but two, with the intention of turning The Pope’s Exorcist into a trilogy. He also said that a change in studio leadership had caused the project to go “around in a few circles.”
A sequel announcement eventually followed. Katz announced that the follow-up was officially happening in May 2024, telling fans to “Gas up your Lambretta” and get ready to ride.
What Could The Pope’s Exorcist 2 Be About?
The first Pope’s Exorcist left plenty of room for another adventure, but Crowe’s comments also point toward the large amount of material available from Amorth’s life. That gives the franchise a way to continue without repeating the premise of the first movie. Amorth could be sent to investigate another supernatural case in another part of the world, allowing a sequel to expand the mythology while still drawing inspiration from the real priest’s writings.
For now, though, there is no new release date or detailed plot information for The Pope’s Exorcist 2. What we do know is that the sequel has previously been announced as greenlit, and Russell Crowe remains interested in getting back on his Lambretta and playing Father Amorth again. Do you want to see the sequel happen? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
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