Blumhouse and Universal are hoping to make our head’s spin with the latest incarnation of William Peter Blatty’s The Exorcist this fall.
Deadline and ComingSoon.net are reporting that the project has wrapped production after a truncated and lengthy filming period.
Having had impressive success reinventing the Halloween franchise for Blumhouse, director Green is taking a stab at bringing another classic property back into the mainstream with collaborators Danny McBride and Scott Teems.
Following a series of sequels ranging from disastrous to mediocre, The Exorcist had its last stab at cultural relevance with a 2016-2017 television series airing on Fox.
Similar to the series’ first season, Green’s reboot will act as a direct sequel to the 1973 classic and reintroduce the character of Chris MacNeil.
Talent involved in the project includes Leslie Odom Jr. in the lead and 90-year-old Ellen Burstyn, reprising her role from the original film.
Production has not been without its troubles, being shot in multiple segments due to concerns over Burstyn’s age and the ever-present Covid19 risks to the actress. Production was unexpectedly shut down twice, once to under-go script rewrites, and when Odom became unexpectedly ill.
Now after a series of reshoots, it seems Green’s The Exorcist has finally wrapped up. Little is known about the legacy sequel’s plot, but original star Linda Blair has made clear she is not involved, despite her on-screen mother returning.
Due to be released on October 13th 2023, we will see if Green can breathe new life into this patchy franchise or if it should just be laid to rest.
