Universal & Blumhouse to Release First Film in The Exorcist Trilogy in 2023

Following the recent news that Universal Pictures and Peacock have acquired the rights to Blumhouse Production’s follow-up trilogy to William Friedkin’s iconic horror film The Exorcist, Universal and Blumhouse have announced the studios will release the first of three films based on The Exorcist IP on October 13, 2023.

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The Exorcist trilogy is not being developed as a remake but rather as a direct sequel to the original horror feature, which was adapted from William Peter Blatty’s novel, with Halloween’s David Gordon Green directing from a screenplay he is co-writing with Scott Teems, Danny McBride, and Peter Sattler.

Oscar-winner Ellen Burstyn is returning to the franchise for the upcoming films, reprising her iconic role as Chris MacNeil over 40 years since the original film debuted in 1973 for which she received an Oscar nomination for Best Actress. Joining Burstyn is Oscar nominee Leslie Odom, Jr. (Hamilton, One Night in Miami) in the lead role of the father of a possessed child whose desperation leads him to track down MacNeil.

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The sequel will be produced by Jason Blum, David Robinson, and James Robinson with Green, McBride, and Couper Samuelson to executive produce. It will be a co-production between Blumhouse and Morgan Creek Production, with Ryan Turek to oversee the project on behalf of Blumhouse.

The original The Exorcist centered around the sudden demonic possession of a 12-year-old girl named Regan (Linda Blair) after encountering an old Ouija board. In a last attempt to save Regan, two Roman Catholic priests (Max von Sydow, Jason Miller) are enlisted to conduct an exorcism on her.

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