Actor Ellen Burstyn, who starred in the original 1973 Exorcist, explained what finally motivated her to partake in a sequel 50 years later.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Burstyn revealed that her payday for the new Exorcist film also included a scholarship program for students at Pace University in New York City, where Burstyn teaches in The Actors Studio M.F.A. program. "I've turned down many versions of The Exorcist 2," she said. "I've said no every time. This time they offered me a whole bunch of money and I still said no. And then they surprised me and they came back and said, 'We doubled the offer.' I said, 'OK, let me think about this.'"

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She continued, "The next thought that came to mind was: 'I feel like the devil is asking my price.' And the next thought that came to mind was, 'My price is a scholarship program for talented students at our master’s degree program at Pace University. That’s my price.' So I then went back and upped their up and ended up getting what I want. And I’ve got a scholarship program for young actors."

It was announced in July 2021 that Halloween's David Gordon Green to write and direct the first entry in Blumhouse Productions' trilogy of Exorcist sequels, which was acquired by Universal Pictures and Peacock for approximately $400 million. Green's involvement came shortly after original Exorcist director William Friedkin, stated that "there's not enough money or motivation in the world to get me to [direct a sequel]."

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Set to come out in 2023, the first film will see Burstyn returning to her role as Chris MacNeill, while Hamilton's Leslie Odom Jr. will play a father whose daughter has become possessed by a demon. In a recent interview, Blumhouse Productions founder and CEO Jason Blum said that he hoped the new Exorcist films would be reminiscent of the Halloween franchise. "Hopefully, we will do the same thing with The Exorcist that we did with Halloween, make it in a way that's fresh and worth revisiting," he said. "And feels different enough so that people are happy we did it."

Halloween star Jamie Lee Curtis also noted the connection between the two franchises, even saying she should be a part of the new Exorcist trilogy. "Maybe I should be the voice of the devil-like Mercedes McCambridge," she said. "You see, if David [Gordon Green] gives me a part in the new Exorcist trilogy as the voice of the devil, then it's a full-circle return for me, in a meta way," referring to how watching The Exorcist at a young age made her scared of horror movies.

The Exorcist sequel is currently slated for an Oct. 13, 2023 release.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter