In the wake of the not-so-great box office performance of David Gordon Green’s attempt to resurrect The Exorcist franchise with The Exorcist: Believer, Deadline has reported that genre banner Blumhouse has confirmed that Mike Flanagan (Doctor Sleep, “The Fall of the House of Usher”) has been tapped to write, direct, and produce a radical new take on the source material for a forthcoming movie, in collaboration with Morgan Creek.
NBCUniversal, Peacock, and Blumhouse acquired the rights to the franchise from Morgan Creek for $400M in July 2021 in the hopes of bringing it back to its former glory, something they that they clearly believe can still happen with what has been described in the press release as “an all-new story set in The Exorcist universe and is not a sequel to 2023’s The Exorcist: Believer”.
Happy to finally be able to share the news, Flangan commented, “The Exorcist is one of the reasons I became a filmmaker, and it is an honor to have the chance to try something fresh, bold, and terrifying within its universe. Reuniting with my friends at Blumhouse, with whom I’ve made some of my favorite pieces of work, only makes this more exciting.”
“Mike’s voice and vision are indispensable for horror fans and we are excited to welcome him back to Blumhouse. I immediately responded to Mike’s new take on the world of The Exorcist and can’t wait for audiences to experience it,” added Blumhouse Founder and CEO, Jason Blum.
Chairman and CEO of Morgan Creek, David Robinson reiterated Blum’s excitement: “It’s an honor to be working with Mike. I think his vision for this franchise is going to stun audiences worldwide, and I could not be more excited to be working with him, Trevor, Jason and the entire Blumhouse Team.”
The as-yet-untitled Exorcist film will be produced by Trevor Macy for Intrepid Pictures and Flanagan for Red Room Pictures. John Scherer will also represent Intrepid.
