The Exorcist: Believer revived the franchise which started with The Exorcist. The film was released with the intention of creating an all-new trilogy of sequels to the original classic. However, with the mixed-to-negative reactions that the sequel received, it looks like Blumhouse and Universal Pictures are taking a different direction. This direction, it seems, could include Mike Flanagan as the director of the next The Exorcist movie.
Mike Flanagan has certainly proven himself as a filmmaker. His credits include not only original works like Oculus and Hush, or television shows including Midnight Mass and The Fall of the House of Usher, but films based on iconic properties as well. He directed a sequel to Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining – Doctor Sleep – and a prequel to Ouija which was considered an improvement over its predecessor.
As such, he would certainly make a great choice to direct an Exorcist movie as well as The Exorcist: Believer. His work on Doctor Sleep proves that he can respect a cinematic classic, and Ouija: Origin of Evil is an example of course correction that the franchise no doubt requires after The Exorcist: Believer failed to impress.
According to Deadline, however, he’s merely “in talks to direct the next Exorcist film for Blumhouse and Universal Pictures” at this point. The deal is not final, so Flanagan may not get the position. Similarly, the original plan would mean two more Exorcist films, and it’s unknown if Flanagan would sign on for just one or both films.
Hopefully more details will be released in the near future. The Exorcist: Believer was originally set to be followed by The Exorcist: Deceiver, though plans fell through when Believer director David Gordon Green stepped away from the project. He previously crafted a sequel trilogy to John Carpenter’s Halloween, and while reactions to those films have been mixed, it’s clear that The Exorcist was a different animal altogether.
Flanagan has certainly proven himself capable, however, so we’ll have to see how these talks proceed. Stay tuned to ScreenGeek for any additional updates regarding the Exorcist franchise as we have them.