In a deal almost as scary as the film itself, The Exorcist is returning. The scary part? The price tag for the film rights hit $400 million!
Peacock and Universal Pictures have reached a new deal to acquire the rights to produce a new trilogy of films in The Exorcist universe. Morgan Creek Entertainment had held the rights to the film since their first entry into the franchise in 1990 with The Exorcist III. They produced Exorcist: The Beginning, Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist, and the FOX TV series.
Now, Morgan Creek Entertainment will team with Blumhouse and David Gordon Green for these new films with a home on Universal’s Peacock streaming service. The Hollywood Reporter does note that the movies will still see a theatrical release, the first of which is set for October 13th , 2023.
One of the biggest bombshells from the report was Ellen Burstyn is returning as her role from the original film. She played Chris MacNeil, the mother of a possessed young girl in the original William Friedkin-directed film. In this new instalment, she’ll be joined by franchise newcomer Leslie Odom Jr. (One Night in Miami), who is coming off an Oscar nomination at the 2021 Academy Awards.
“There’s no better time to be joining forces with the team at Peacock, reuniting with the great team at Universal and finally getting to work with my friends at Blumhouse, than on this classic franchise,” David Robinson, Morgan Creek president, said in a statement.
Director David Gordon Green recently spoke about his plans for the new film, describing it as a direct sequel to the original. Think what Green recently did with his 2018 Halloween film. He went on to say: “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.”
Are you excited about the prospect of a new Exorcist trilogy? Let us know your thoughts on our social channels @FlickeringMyth…
