The Last Exorcism 2 moves forward with R rating; Ed Gass-Donnelly to direct

Last Updated on July 23, 2021

Okay, so it turns out that it wasn’t really the last exorcism…

THE LAST EXORCISM 2 is finally moving forward, folks. It has been in the pipeline for a little while, but I think it’s safe to say that the success of THE DEVIL INSIDE has pumped some life into it.

According to Deadline.com, the flick will be directed by relative newcomer Ed Gass-Donnelly (SMALL TOWN MURDER SONGS) from a script by Damien Chazelle. Once again, Eli Roth will produce alongside Strike Entertainment’s Eric Newman, Marc Abraham and Thomas Bliss.

We don’t know much about the story right now; all Deadline is reporting is that the sequel will pick up three months after the original film left off. Perhaps most surprising is the news that the producers are intent on delivering an R-rated film.

Here’s what Eli Roth had to say: “Obviously with the title of the first one we had not planned on a sequel, but we love the story and subject matter and had what we feel is an inspired idea to continue it. As you can see from other recent films, fans around the world are fascinated by this subject matter, and we want to go deeper and darker this time. The first film worked great as a PG-13 psychological film, but now we want to go R-rated and show the true horror of what this subject matter offers. The biggest creative challenge will be coming up with the right title!”

Ashley Bell is reprising her role as Nell Sweetzer; it’s unknown if anyone else is returning. (Lord knows the first flick’s ending was unclear enough to allow more than a few people’s returns.) The film is expected to be released sometime later this year.