In pre-holiday horror news that’s sure to make your head spin, Blumhouse is developing a sequel toThe Exorcistthat is slated to be directed byDavid Gordon Green, who is also behind the company’s new Halloween trilogy.
The Observerbroke the news, reporting that Blumhouse has teamed with Morgan Creek on the project, which was first mentioned back in August as part of a Deadline story about Morgan Creek teaming with Amazon on a series remake ofDead Ringers.
Jason Blumwill produce alongside Morgan Creek’sJames RobinsonandDavid Robinson, and though Deadline initially claimed that the newExorcistmovie was aiming for a 2021 release, that may be a tad optimistic. Green is still in talks, and the Observer says it remains unclear whether it’ll be the director’s next feature following his twoHalloweensequels.
Personally, I hope the director manages to sneak in a smaller, more personal project after those Halloween movies, as I loved Green’s dramaStrongerstarringJake Gyllenhaaland would love to see him make more movies like that. Of course, I was also a big fan of 2018’sHalloween, so if Green has come up with a way to breathe new life into the moribundExorcistfranchise, then I’m all for it, because that’s a great IP that’s just sitting there, waiting for a fresh take.
Directed byWilliam Friedkin, the original 1973 film followed the demonic possession of Regan MacNeil (Linda Blair), a 12-year-old girl whose mother (Ellen Burstyn) recruits a pair of priests (Jason MillerandMax von Sydow) to battle an entity known simply as Pazuzu.The Exorcistwas nominated for Best Picture and spawned four follow-up films, and though the franchise has collectively grossed more than $520 million worldwide, Friedkin is not expected to be involved in this new project.
Green’s next Michael Myers movie,Halloween Kills, will carve up theaters on Jun 24, 2025 whileHalloween Endsis slated for release on Jul 12, 2025. The 2018 installment grossed more than $255 million worldwide, so it’s easy to see why Blumhouse would want to be back in business with Green, and why Morgan Creek would want to team up with Blumhouse on this particular project. When it comes to horror, Blum and his team simply have the genre expertise. That said, if Morgan Creek wants to rebootThe Crush, they should callme, not Jason.
Speaking of Blumhouse, the company is alsomounting a remake ofFirestarterthat will starZac Efron, and that’s oneStephen Kingadaptation for which I’m especially excited, as the original left room for improvement.
