In 1973, William Friedkin directed one of the most iconic and recognizable horror films ever made, The Exorcist. The horror classic, based on William Peter Blatt’s novel of the same name, spawned four sequels and a cancelled Fox TV series. Back in August, reports emerged that a remake of the first Exorcist film was in the works from Morgan Creek Entertainment. 

But, if the film is being developed, it looks like Friedkin will have nothing to do with it. “There’s a rumor on IMDB that I’m involved with a new version of The Exorcist,” Friedkin tweeted Wednesday. “This isn’t a rumor, it’s a flat-out lie. There’s not enough money or motivation in the world to get me to do this.” 

Friedkin hasn’t been involved with any of the Exorcist spinoff films. In 2017, he directed The Devil and Father Amorth, a documentary about a preist named Father Gabriele Amorth as he performs his ninth exorcism on an Italian woman. He obviously still has an interest in the subject matter, but, based on his tweet, it doesn’t seem like he feels conflicted about stepping away from the franchise. 

Earlier this year, Alexandre O. Philippe directed a documentary about the making of the original 1973 horror classic, Leap of Faith: William Friedkin on The Exorcist.