Not many moviegoers remember that a ‘legacy’ sequel to The Exorcist came out last year, and it’s not surprising, considering Believer only made $136 million worldwide; a respectable number for a horror flick, but not for The Exorcist IP, especially after spending $400 million on acquiring the rights. It also was panned by most critics and horror aficionados. Blumhouse is well aware of how hard it fumbled the bag, as it has now scrapped the sequel trilogy plans and gone to horror maestro Mike Flanagan asking for help.
Via Deadline, the announcement came on May 29, with Flanagan himself also confirming the news on social media. According to the filmmaker, his approach for the long-running (and mostly disappointing) movie series will be “fresh, bold, and terrifying.” If anyone can nail that at this point, it’s probably him.
Blumhouse honcho Jason Blum, the man who enlisted David Gordon Green in the first place to tackle a new riff on The Exorcist after his so-so Halloween trilogy, expressed his excitement: “Mike’s voice and vision are indispensable for horror fans and we are excited to welcome him back to Blumhouse. I immediately responded to Mike’s new take on the world of The Exorcist and can’t wait for audiences to experience it.” Chances are he made the right call (or at least a far better one) this time around.
About Author
