David Gordon Green's in-development direct sequel to The Exorcist from Blumhouse Productions and Universal Pictures will launch a new trilogy. Originally starting his career in the world of acclaimed indie dramas, Green found more mainstream success with his work in the comedy genre with Pineapple Express before returning to more serious fare with the Nicolas Cage-led Joe and Paul Rudd-starrer Prince Avalanche. Green and frequent collaborator Danny McBride would shock the world in 2018 when they set their sights on the horror genre with the first installment in their Halloween trilogy, which received rave reviews from critics and grossed over $255 million against its $10 million budget.
The Exorcist film franchise derives from the 1971 novel of the same name from William Peter Blatty, who subsequently wrote the script for the 1973 adaptation directed by William Friedkin. As a 12-year-old girl comes under possession by a demonic entity known as Pazuzu, two Catholic Priests are called in by her mother to exorcise the spirit. The franchise launcher debuted to large critical and commercial success, grossing over $441 million and garnering 10 Academy Award nominations, winning for Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Sound.
On the heels of Green's confirmation the script had been completed for the film, Universal and Peacock have closed a $400 million deal to have the next Exorcist film launch a new trilogy, the first of which will be helmed by Green and written by him and Peter Sattler on a story from Green and Halloween collaborators McBride and Scott Teems. The first film will star Leslie Odom Jr. as a father of a possessed child who turns to a character portrayed by original star Ellen Burstyn as Chris MacNeil for help. No production date was given for the first installment, but the studio is currently eyeing an October 2023 theatrical release date and potential direct-to-Peacock debuts for the second and third installments.
The news of a new trilogy being built around The Exorcist property at Universal and Blumhouse is one that will either excite fans or leave them scratching their heads. Unlike the slasher genre of the Halloween franchise, the demonic possession formula of The Exorcist does prove harder to justify continuing a story past one film. Additionally, given the negative reception of the original 1977 sequel, Exorcist II: The Heretic, concerns about where a follow-up to Green's initial outing are justified, though given Jason Blum's assurance it will surprise many the same way Halloween did, the chances are still hopeful for it.
One of the more intriguing bits of news for The Exorcist is the return of Burstyn to the franchise for the first time in 40 years as original mother MacNeil. With Green recently teasing that the new Exorcist won't necessarily retcon any of the franchise's larger mythology, it will be intriguing to see if he still chooses to ignore the short-lived Fox series, in which Burstyn's character met her demise, or set the story prior to it. Only time will tell what the future of the horror franchise holds when the film hits theaters on October 13, 2023.
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