Back in December, it was reported that Blumhouse and Morgan Creek Productions’ planned upcoming installment in ‘The Exorcist’ franchise had found its director in David Gordon Green (‘Halloween’, ‘Halloween Kills’). At the time, it was rumored that this new film would be a sequel to the original film and not a reboot of the “scariest film ever made.”
In a recent interview with Total Film, Green confirmed that the script has been completed and that the film will, in fact, be a direct sequel.
During his interview, Green gave the following statement:
“The Exorcist has been written. That was one of my pandemic projects. It’s not inaccurate [that it will be a sequel to the original film]. I like all the Exorcist movies. And not only do I like them, I think they can all fall into the acceptable mythology for what I’m doing. It’s not like I’m saying, ‘Pretend that The Exorcist 2 never happened.’ That’s fine to exist. They’re all fine to exist, and I enjoy all of them.”
This statement clearly indicates that Green has no intentions of ignoring or disregarding the films that followed 1973’s ‘The Exorcist’, unlike his 2018 ‘Halloween’ film which disregarded every ‘Halloween’ film that took place after the original, including Rob Zombie’s reboots.
Absent from the interview is any mention of the ‘The Exorcist’ TV series that ran for two seasons on Fox between 2016-2018.
During the interview, Green would also go into detail about his experience developing the script for such an iconic franchise:
“It’s another fun legacy to be a part of, and hopefully we’ll get that going in the near future. That one is a lot of research, rather than just impulsive screenwriting. That’s one that you talk to a lot of people. You read a lot of books, and do a shit-load of interviews. There was such a dramatic authenticity to what that original film is. It’s a lot more than I anticipated getting into it. And I guess I was naive to think that. But it was very exhilarating to be involved in a lot of those conversations that you find yourself in.”
The original 1973 film starring Linda Blair, Ellen Burstyn, Jason Miller, and Max von Sydow was based off the novel and adapted screenplay by author William Peter Blatty and was about twelve-year-old Reagan McNeil who becomes possessed by a demonic presence causing her mother to seek out the help of two priests to save her.
The original 1977 sequel, titled ‘The Exorcist II: The Heretic,’ saw Linda Blair and Max von Sydow reprise their respective roles from the original film with the story focusing on a now sixteen-year-old Regan battling with the fact that the demon may still lurk within her.
Additional details on the film are still unknown at this time, as no official filming dates or cast announcements have been made yet.
What’s also unknown is if Linda Blair will have any part in the upcoming film.
Horrorfacts will be sure to report any new updates and announcements on the project as they unfold.
