The Exorcist franchise is roaring back to life with not one but a trio of sequels.
Blumhouse Productions tapped Halloween's David Gordon Green to write and direct the first entry. Ellen Burstyn will return as Chris MacNeil from the original Exorcist title while Leslie Odom Jr. will also be appearing as a father whose daughter gets possessed by a demonic spirit.
Universal Pictures and Peacock acquired the three movies for upwards of $400 million. The costliness of acquiring the features was due to a competitive bidding situation. Donna Langley, chairman of Universal Filmed Entertainment Group, reportedly pushed hard for the projects, which led to Universal and Peacock teaming up to pick up the sequels. The first Blumhouse Exorcist sequel is planning to debut in movie theaters in 2023 while the two subsequent features are potentially aiming for premieres on Peacock.
"There's no better time to be joining forces with the team at Peacock, reuniting with the great team at Universal and finally getting to work with my friends at Blumhouse, than on this classic franchise,'' Morgan Creek President David Robinson said. "David Gordon Green, Danny McBride, Scott Teems and Peter Sattler have put together a compelling continuation of this iconic tale and I can't wait to bring this to fans around the world."
"Blumhouse has always experienced incredible partnership from the team at Universal, and I’m grateful to Donna Langley and Jimmy Horowitz for believing in the vision of David's film and having the foresight to be flexible with distribution, so the team feels top notch support through the lifeline of the film. They're committed to theatrical exhibition and will also serving streaming viewers well by bringing an exciting franchise like the 'Exorcist' to Peacock too," Blumhouse's Jason Blum added. "I'm grateful to be working with David Robinson and the great team at Morgan Creek on this iconic franchise."
Blumhouse's new movies aren't the first time The Exorcist has sought new life. A direct sequel, Exorcist II: The Heretic, debuted in 1977 to a dismal reception while further extensions have included a prequel titled Exorcist: The Beginning and a TV series simply titled The Exorcist.
Source: Blumhouse