Will There Ever Be Another Exorcist Movie?
The Exorcist: Believer will be coming in 2023, another addition to the horror film franchise.
William Peter Blatty’s The Exorcist is one of the greatest horror films of all time and helped prove that horror films could be as prestigious and Oscar-worthy as any other drama.
Since the release of the classic 1973 film, there have been various sequels, prequels, and a recent television sequel that had varying levels of success, though none lived up to the original. However, there’s hope that will change as we have another Exorcist sequel on the way in 2023.
The Exorcist: Believer will be the latest entry to the horror franchise and is set to serve as a direct sequel to the 1973 film. While the film seeks to bring the franchise forward, it was reported that the previous sequels will still remain canon (though there may be some wonky continuity issues).
The new sequel is being headed up by David Gordon Green, who is directing and co-writing the screenplay with Peter Sattler.
David Gordon Green is best known for directing Pineapple Express and the recent reboot trilogy of Halloween films. Though the Halloween films weren’t all well-received, Green does have experience rebooting beloved horror franchises. While the Halloween films were never quite as prestigious as The Exorcist, hopefully, he’ll be able to bring something unique to the table with this IP.
The Exorcist: Believer will be produced by Morgan Creek Entertainment and Blumhouse Productions, with Universal Pictures distributing. It seems like the sequel is building a solid team behind the scenes. However, what’s really exciting about the sequel is the cast that has been announced.
The Exorcist: Believer has already announced that Academy Award winner Ellen Burstyn will be reprising her role as Chris MacNeil, the mother of the possessed Regan MacNeil in the original film. The film will also star Academy Award nominee Leslie Odom Jr. as a father who seeks out MacNeil to help with his possessed daughter. Jennifer Nettles is also on board as another parent who teams up with Odom Jr.’s character to help her possessed child.
In The Exorcist: Believer, Ellen Burstyn will be reprising her role as Chris MacNeil, the mother of the possessed Regan MacNeil in the original film
Lidya Jewett and Olivia Marcum are set to play the two possessed children in The Exorcist: Believer. Meanwhile, Raphael Sbarge was cast as a pastor, while Ann Dowd and Okwui Okpokwasili have been cast in undisclosed roles. At the very least, this sequel has a pretty amazing cast, so we can expect some top-notch performances.
It seems like the studios have a lot of faith in The Exorcist: Believer because the film is intended to be the first film in a new Exorcist trilogy. On board for the future sequels are Green and Sattler, along with Danny McBride and Scott Teems, who helped develop the story for Believer. It’ll be interesting to see if this sequel can be successful enough to warrant the sequels, both critically and commercially.
The Exorcist: Believer certainly has its work cut out for it. Living up to the quality and execution of the original film is going to be no easy feat. After all, the original film was not only nominated for ten Oscars, but it also was a hit at the box office and made a ton of money in the rental market. That’s a legacy that won’t be easy to touch.
The Exorcist director William Friedkin seems to hold the same sentiment, tweeting, “There’s not enough money or motivation in the world to get me to do this,” when there were rumors he would be involved in the sequel.
Clearly, Friedkin is (rightfully) happy with what he created and is fine with leaving it at that. So, it seems the new films will have to go on without Friedkin’s involvement.
Without the context of being there at the time, it’s hard to imagine what a cultural landmark The Exorcist was when it was released in 1973. The film was highly controversial and even caused people to seek out help from their local hospitals or churches after seeing it. Though it was still extremely popular and considered brilliant by many critics.
Obviously, society has changed a bit since then, and audiences likely won’t be as reactionary, but the pop culture mythology of the film only helped to make the film such a historical event.
In any case, it seems like fans are ready to give The Exorcist: Believer a chance. We, fortunately, don’t have to wait very long to see if it was worth the wait. The film will be hitting theaters just in time for Halloween, on October 13, 2023.
