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“The Exorcist” Adds a Third Priest
Kurt Egyiawan (pictured; Beasts of No Nation) will play Father Bennett, a liaison for the Vatican in “The Exorcist,” Fox’s drama pilot inspired by William Blatty’s 1971 book.
Just yesterday Alfonso Herrera (“Sense8,” “The Chosen”) and Ben Daniels ( pictured below in “House of Cards”) were set to topline as the main priests.
“The Exorcist,” penned by feature writer Jeremy Slater (The Lazarus Effect, Fantastic Four), is described as a modern reinvention of the book, previously adapted into William Friedkin’s classic horror movie. It is a propulsive, serialized psychological thriller following two very different men — Father Tomas Ortega (Herrera) and Father Marcus Lang (Daniels) — tackling one family’s case of horrifying demonic possession and confronting the face of true evil.
Herrera’s Father Tomas is the warm, selfless and compassionate leader of a small but hearty little church, explains the site, while Daniels’ Father Marcus is the intense holy warrior carrying out an occupation that the church no longer acknowledges in public.
Hannah Kasulka will play Casey Rance, the wall-flower of the family. Casey is worried about her sister Charlotte (Brianne Howley), who has been holed up in her room ever since her serious accident.
Slater, who wrote the script, executive produces alongside James Robinson, David Robinson and Barbara Wall for 20th Century Fox TV and Morgan Creek Prods.
Rupert Wyatt is set to direct, as previously reported.
[H/T] Deadline
Sam Neill, the New Zealand actor best known for his role in 1993’s Jurassic Park, has passed away this week at 78 years old. In a statement shared on Neill’s Instagram page this morning, the actor’s family said that his passing was “sudden and unexpected.”
Neill had been diagnosed with a rare blood cancer in 2022, but stated the following year that he was in remission. The family notes that he “remained cancer free” at the time of his passing.
The family statement reads, “It is with immense sadness that the whānau of Sam Neill share the news of his passing on Monday 13th July, in Sydney Australia. Sam was surrounded by family and passed with the dignity that has characterised his whole life. The loss was sudden and unexpected but blessed by the fact that Sam remained cancer free.
“They would like to express their deepest gratitude to the staff at St Vincent’s Private Hospital for their incredible care. More details will be shared later, but for now, on behalf of the family, we ask that you respect their privacy as they navigate this immeasurable loss.”
In addition to his iconic role as Dr. Alan Grant in the original Jurassic Park and the sequels Jurassic Park III and Jurassic World: Dominion, Sam Neill left an indelible mark on the horror genre with memorable roles in Andrzej Żuławski’s Possession, The Omen: The Final Conflict, John Carpenter’s In the Mouth of Madness, and sci-fi horror favorite Event Horizon.
Sam Neill’s vast resume in film and television began in the early 1970s and also includes the films Sleeping Dogs, Enigma, The Good Wife, A Cry in the Dark, Dead Calm, The Hunt for Red October, Memoirs of an Invisible Man, Hostage, The Jungle Book, Snow White: A Tale of Terror, The Horse Whisperer, Bicentennial Man, Daybreakers, Escape Plan, and Thor: Ragnarok.
Sam Neill is survived by his four children and eight grandchildren.
Steven Spielberg said in a statement to Variety, “I owe a debt of gratitude to Roger Donaldson, Gilliam Armstrong, Graham Baker and Phillip Noyce for casting Sam Neill in the roles in which he was so brilliant that brought him to my attention and led to his playing Dr. Alan Grant in Jurassic Park. Sam was exceptionally collaborative. It was a stretch for him to play a character who acted as though children were messy and smelly because this was the opposite of the loving father he was to his children. I adored making all the Jurassic movies with him.”
Spielberg adds, “Along with Laura Dern and Jeff Goldblum, we will always have our Jurassic family and Sam will never be forgotten by us or his many millions of fans around the world.”
Sam Neill in ‘Event Horizon’
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