It was already known that Halloween director David Gordon Green was working on some kind of continuation of The Exorcist. But now, according to an official announcement, it appears that he’ll actually be directing an entire Exorcist trilogy. What’s more, all three films will be sequels to the original 1973 classic – and actress Ellen Burstyn will reprise her role as Chris MacNeil. As fans should remember, Chris MacNeil was the worried mother of Regan MacNeil, her possessed daughter masterfully played by Linda Blair.
This is an impressive announcement, especially because The New York Times reports that Universal and Peacock spent $400 million to buy the new Exorcist trilogy for their partnership with Blumhouse and Morgan Creek. Here’s what David Robinson, Morgan Creek President, had to say about the deal:
“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, ” said David Robinson. “David Gordon Green, Danny McBride, Scott Teems and Peter Sattler have put together a compelling continuation of this iconic tale and I can’t wait to bring this to fans around the world.”
As for Jason Blum, CEO and Founder of Blumhouse, he added the following:
“Blumhouse has always experienced incredible partnership from the team at Universal, and I’m grateful to Donna Langley and Jimmy Horowitz for believing in the vision of David’s film and having the foresight to be flexible with distribution, so the team feels top notch support through the lifeline of the film. They’re committed to theatrical exhibition and will also serving streaming viewers well by bringing an exciting franchise like the ‘Exorcist’ to Peacock too,” said Jason Blum. “I’m grateful to be working with David Robinson and the great team at Morgan Creek on this iconic franchise.”
Scott Teems, Danny McBride, and David Gordon Green worked together on the story which is being penned by Peter Sattler and Green. Aside from Ellen Burstyn, the film will also star Leslie Odom Jr. The story will involve the following:
“Odom Jr. will play the father of a possessed child. Desperate for help, he tracks down Ms. Burstyn’s character.”
The first film in the Exorcist trilogy is scheduled to be released on October 13, 2023.