Cinema-Con took place this past week, and it has been responsible for several exciting announcements in regards to upcoming horror releases. Chief among these is that David Gordon Green’s upcoming Exorcist reboot finally has a title, The Exorcist: Believer.
Blumhouse and Universal also used the marketing convention to debut the first trailer for the upcoming flick, with reactions reportedly positive all-around. Details of the footage shown have yet to emerge, however, using past movies as a guide, it is likely this trailer will release online during the summer.
The Exorcist: Believer sees Green following the blueprint he set with Halloween and opting to make a modern-day sequel to the 1974 original. The film sees Leslie Odon Jr. star as the father of a possessed child and in dire need, he tracks down actress Chris MacNeil to learn how she and her family overcame the same horror.
Ellen Burstyn will reprise her role as Chris MacNeil, making her the oldest female to headline a horror franchise, at age 90. Alongside Odom and Burstyn Hereditary star Ann Dowd and singer Jennifer Nettles have been cast in “substantial roles.”
Although unconfirmed, there are also rumblings that Linda Blair will return to the series as Regan MacNeil. Blair first ruled out a return, saying she had not been contacted, but it was later confirmed by Universal that Blair was involved in the project. However, the extent of the actress’ involvement remains unclear, with the studio stating she was on set for “just a few days,” and acted as a “technical advisor.”
Whether or not this is just smoke to cover up a surprise cameo we’ll just have to wait and see. The Exorcist: Believer is set to release to theatres on October 13th 2023, with two sequels already in development.
