The original The Exorcist is still regarded as one of the best horror movies of all time, as it set the standard for what can be accomplished in the realm of demon-possessed terror. For decades, filmmakers have attempted to either offer up derivative outings or delivered new installments in the iconic series. Most recently, Halloween director David Gordon Green helmed 2023’s The Exorcist: Believer, which was meant to be the first chapter in a trilogy of movies. After release, the studio pivoted away from this strategy and instead enlisted Mike Flanagan to develop a fresh installment in the series.
Flanagan is next delivering the Stephen King adaptation Carrie for Prime Video, with the filmmaker claiming his “dream scenario” was a three-season arc. Speaking with Bloody Disgusting in support of the new series, when asked if his The Exorcist was approached as the first installment in a longer narrative, Flanagan confirmed he is most focused on an effective single story.
“Oh, you know, I have no idea. I was so fixated on getting to the end credits of that movie,” Flanagan confirmed of his future with The Exorcist. “That’s another franchise that has this huge legacy and so many expectations piled on it. I wouldn’t let myself imagine past, like, the last day of production, to be honest. It was, how do I deliver an Exorcist movie right now? One movie that is going to invigorate the fan base and show us something we haven’t seen before in one of the most explored subgenres that exists?”
He added, “So, yeah, if that turns into something more, that would be amazing. I’m still just trying to see my way to the end of the edit. I can’t see past that at the moment. But yeah, I guess, never say never.”
To this point, we haven’t gotten any official looks at the new movie, but based on Flanagan’s impressive work on The Haunting of Hill House, Midnight Mass, and Doctor Sleep, he’s more than qualified to tackle the legacy of The Exorcist.
After the release of the original The Exorcist, the first sequel, Exorcist II: The Heretic, failed to impress audiences or critics. The making of the film was a challenging experience, to the point that the journey was chronicled in the documentary Boorman and the Devil. The Exorcist III has a stronger shift away from the original, tonally and narratively, and has earned a devout following.
One of the most consistent elements of The Exorcist, however, is behind-the-scenes challenges, as made evident by the releases Exorcist: The Beginning and Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist. Paul Schrader was enlisted to make The Beginning, only for the project to be taken away from him and retooled from his original vision, as director Renny Harlin took over. After The Beginning‘s underwhelming release in 2004, Schrader was allowed to complete his take on the concept with Dominion, which similarly struggled with audiences in 2005.
Jeremy Slater‘s TV series The Exorcist received some of the best reviews since the franchise’s start, though it failed to earn major ratings and was canceled after two seasons. Hopes are high that Flanagan’s The Exorcist can bring the series back to its rightful glory, though we’re being cautiously optimistic.
As we wait for updates on The Exorcist, you can see Flanagan’s Carrie on Prime Video on October 7. Prime Video describes the new series, “Misfit high‑schooler Carrie White (Summer H. Howell) has spent her life hidden away inside the walls of her home with her fiercely protective mother, Margaret (Samantha Sloyan). After her father’s sudden, untimely death thrusts her into the unforgiving ecosystem of public high school, Carrie is forced to navigate a viral bullying scandal that tears through her community, the relentless pressure and casual cruelty of the social‑media age, and the awakening of mysterious telekinetic powers that rise alongside her adolescence.”
Flanagan’s The Exorcist, reported titled The Exorcist: Martyrs, is set to hit theaters on March 12, 2027.
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