During Blumhouse’s recent presentation at the Las Vegas CinemaCon, it was confirmed that Universal Pictures’ upcoming The Exorcist sequel title is officially The Exorcist: Believer. Featuring the long-awaited return of Ellen Burstyn, the film is expected to arrive in theaters on October 13.
The first footage of The Exorcist: Believer was also released during CinemaCon, giving attendees their first look at the supernatural thriller. According to Deadline, the exclusive video centered around a group of young girls who were found in the woods after going missing for three days. It also teased Burstyn’s appearance as Chris MacNeil.
The Exorcist movie serves 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 are Oscar nominee Leslie Odom Jr. (Hamilton, One Night in Miami), Emmy winner Ann Dowd (The Handmaid’s Tale), Raphael Sbarge (Once Upon a Time), and Jennifer Nettles (Harriet), with newcomers Lidya Jewett, and Olivia Marcum.
The sequel is produced by Jason Blum, David Robinson, and James Robinson, with Green, McBride, Couper Samuelson, and Stephanie Allain executive producing. It is a co-production between Blumhouse and Morgan Creek Production, with Ryan Turek overseeing 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.
