When it was first revealed that David Gordon Green was circling a reboot of The Exorcist, most people assumed that he would apply the same formula that worked so well with 2018’s Halloween to another one of horror’s most famous properties. However, it’s still been a surprise just how rigidly the reinvention of the supernatural saga is sticking to the Haddonfield template.
Not only is Green teaming up with Blumhouse for a brand new trilogy that exists as a hybrid of sequel and reboot by acting as a direct follow up to the classic original that disregards the rest of the series, but Universal have now dated the first installment of The Exorcist trilogy for October 2023, and the studio has already staked out windows for 2024 and 2025 as well, which is basically Halloween all over again.
It cost a mammoth $400 million to secure the worldwide distribution rights to The Exorcist, so Universal and Peacock clearly have high hopes that it’ll become a global phenomenon. Linda Blair says she hasn’t been invited back to return as of yet, but Ellen Burstyn will provide the connective tissue to William Friedkin’s 1973 all-timer as Leslie Odom Jr.’s father seeks out the aid of Chris MacNeil when his own daughter becomes possessed by a demonic spirit.
As part of the Peacock deal, it was reported that the second and third installments could stream exclusively on NBCUniversal’s platform, which would certainly be an interesting approach to take. Presumably, that’ll only happen if The Exorcist doesn’t catch fire at the box office, but looking at what Green brought to Halloween, success is surely a foregone conclusion when audiences never grow tired of being terrified.
