Mike Flanagan has a very simple goal for his upcoming The Exorcist movie: he wants to make something that feels fresh enough to “invigorate” the franchise’s fan base. The filmmaker recently spoke with our friends at Bloody Disgusting about the movie, and while he isn’t looking beyond this one film just yet, he clearly has ambitious plans for his new take on the classic horror franchise.
Flanagan’s The Exorcist is not a sequel to 2023’s The Exorcist: Believer, nor is it a remake of William Friedkin’s 1973 classic. Instead, the movie is an all-new story set within The Exorcist universe. Scarlett Johansson leads a cast that also includes Diane Lane, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Laurence Fishburne, Sasha Calle, John Leguizamo, Jacobi Jupe, and several of Flanagan’s returning collaborators: Rahul Kohli, Hamish Linklater, Carla Gugino, Kate Siegel, Samantha Sloyan, Carl Lumbly, Robert Longstreet, Matt Biedel, John Gallagher Jr., Benjamin Pajak, and Gil Bellows.
Speaking with Bloody Disgusting while promoting his upcoming Carrie series, Flanagan was asked whether he approached The Exorcist as a gateway to making more sequels within the franchise. He said,
“Oh, you know, I have no idea. I was so fixated on getting to the end credits of that movie. That’s another franchise that has this huge legacy and so many expectations piled on it. I wouldn’t let myself imagine past, like, the last day of production, to be honest. It was, how do I deliver an Exorcist movie right now? One movie that is going to invigorate the fan base and show us something we haven’t seen before in one of the most explored subgenres that exists? So, yeah, if that turns into something more, that would be amazing. I’m still just trying to see my way to the end of the edit. I can’t see past that at the moment. But yeah, I guess, never say never.”
Mike Flanagan’s Exorcist movie is a fresh start
That’s probably a good approach for a franchise that has been through quite a bit over the years. Universal and Blumhouse originally intended The Exorcist: Believer to launch a new trilogy, with David Gordon Green returning to direct a planned sequel called The Exorcist: Deceiver. But Believer didn’t receive the response the studio was hoping for, and those plans were ultimately scrapped. Flanagan was subsequently brought aboard to develop a “radical new take” on the property. The filmmaker has already made it clear that he wants to honor the legacy of The Exorcist without simply relying on nostalgia, and that approach has carried through the production.
Filming wrapped earlier this year, with Flanagan announcing the news in June. At the time, he described the project as an opportunity to do something he believes had never been done within the franchise while also promising to make the scariest movie of his career. And considering Flanagan’s horror résumé includes The Haunting of Hill House, Midnight Mass, Doctor Sleep, Gerald’s Game, Ouija: Origin of Evil, and Oculus, he certainly has plenty of experience balancing supernatural horror with character-driven storytelling.
When will Mike Flanagan’s The Exorcist be released?
Universal currently has Mike Flanagan’s The Exorcist scheduled to arrive in theaters on March 12, 2027.
For now, there are no official images or trailers from the movie, so Flanagan’s comments on what he hopes to accomplish are all we have to go on. And if he really can deliver an Exorcist movie that gives longtime fans something they haven’t seen before, maybe this franchise still has some life left in it.
Are you looking forward to seeing what Mike Flanagan has done with his addition to the Exorcist franchise? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
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