Scarlett Johansson (pic) is set to star in a reimagined Exorcist film, directed by horror filmmaker Mike Flanagan, known for his work in Oculus, Hush and Doctor Sleep.
Universal Pictures told Deadline on Monday, Nov 24, that the new movie “will tell an all-new story set in The Exorcist universe” and is not a direct sequel to 2023’s The Exorcist: Believer.
Flanagan is writing, directing, and producing the upcoming horror film under his production company, Red Room Pictures. It is set to mark Johansson’s first major horror film.
In announcing Johansson’s casting, Flanagan praised her grounded performances, calling her “brilliant whose captivating performances always feel grounded and real, from genre films to summer blockbusters.”
The Exorcist is one of horror cinema’s most iconic franchises, originally based on William Peter Blatty’s 1971 novel. Its first film, The Exorcist (1973), directed by William Friedkin, was a landmark success both critically and commercially.
Over the decades, the series saw several sequels and prequels: Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977), The Exorcist III (1990), and origin stories in Exorcist: The Beginning (2004) and Dominion (2005). There was also a television adaptation that ran from 2016-2017.
The Exorcist: Believer, directed by David Gordon Green, was released in 2023. While the film grossed about US$137mil worldwide on a US$30mil budget, it received largely negative reviews, which eventually led to the cancellation of a planned trilogy. – Philippine Daily Inquirer/Asia News Network
