Following last year’s Exorcist: Believer, parent company Blumhouse has opted to take the series in a new direction. Director Mike Flanagan has been brought on to helm the next installment.
With its release in October, Exorcist: Believer, initially conceived as the first part in a trilogy, was financially viable, earning $137 million worldwide. Director David Gordon Green, however, opted not to return to the series due to poor reception from critics and audiences.
Exorcist: Believer served as a legacy sequel to the original Exorcist. Based on the novel by William Peter Blatty, the 1973 film follows a single mother whose daughter starts showing signs of a strange ailment. When science fails her, she turns to religion in a last-ditch effort: an exorcism.
While new to the franchise, Flanagan is no stranger to horror. He wrote and directed Shining sequel Doctor Sleep and Gerald’s Game, both adaptations of Stephen King’s books. He will be writing and directing the new Exorcist film.
Variety also pointed out that Flanagan has worked with Blumhouse before. He directed Hush, Oculus, and Ouija: Origin Of Evil for Blumhouse.
It has also been confirmed that the new film will not be a sequel to Exorcist: Believer, but is said to be taking the story in a different direction.
Upon confirmation, writer/director Flanagan said, “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.”
He continued, “Reuniting with my friends at Blumhouse, with whom I’ve made some of my favorite pieces of work, only makes this more exciting.”
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