Confirming recent reports, Blumhouse has officially announced that Mike Flanagan will be taking on the next installment of The Exorcist, but don't expect it to be a follow up to Believer. Instead, a "radical new take" is promised in the upcoming film that will see Flanagan as the writer, director, and producer:
Mike Flanagan, the visionary writer/director behind the acclaimed films Doctor Sleep and Gerald’s Game and creator of the hit series Midnight Mass, The Haunting of Hill House and most recently The Fall of the House of Usher will write, direct and produce a radical new take on The Exorcist in a new film for Blumhouse and Morgan Creek.
The film will tell an all-new story set in The Exorcist universe and is not a sequel to 2023’s The Exorcist: Believer. The film will be produced by Trevor Macy on behalf of Intrepid Pictures and Flanagan via his new Red Room Pictures banner. John Scherer will also be working on the film on behalf of Intrepid.
This film marks the fourth collaboration for Flanagan and Blumhouse; he wrote and directed Oculus (2013), Hush (2016) and Ouija: Origin of Evil (2016), all also produced by Macy, the latter which was recently featured in Blumhouse’s Halfway to Halloween AMC Film Series.
Stated Flanagan, “The Exorcist is one of the reasons I became a filmmaker, and it is an honor to have the chance to try something fresh, bold, and terrifying within its universe. Reuniting with my friends at Blumhouse, with whom I’ve made some of my favorite pieces of work, only makes this more exciting.”
“Mike’s voice and vision are indispensable for horror fans and we are excited to welcome him back to Blumhouse. I immediately responded to Mike’s new take on the world of The Exorcist and can’t wait for audiences to experience it,” said Jason Blum, Founder and CEO, Blumhouse.
“It’s an honor to be working with Mike. I think his vision for this franchise is going to stun audiences worldwide, and I could not be more excited to be working with him, Trevor, Jason and the entire Blumhouse Team,” said David Robinson, Chairman and CEO of Morgan Creek.
The Exorcist: Believer grossed $137M at the global box office. The film was directed by David Gordon Green, and written by Peter Sattler and Green, from a story by Scott Teems & Danny McBride & David Gordon Green. Green, Danny McBride, Stephanie Allain, Ryan Turek, Brian Robinson, Christopher Merrill, Mark David Katchur and Atilla Yücer are executive producers. David Robinson, James G. Robinson and Jason Blum produced the film. The film was a Universal Pictures Presentation and a Blumhouse/Morgan Creek Entertainment production in addition with Rough House Pictures.
Flanagan, Macy as well as Intrepid and Red Room are represented by WME, with VanderKloot Law also representing Flanagan and Reder & Feig handling Macy.