After dangerous brushes with dinosaurs, Scarlett Johansson will soon find herself against a new threat — demonic entities. The Jurassic World: Rebirth star is set to lead the next Exorcist film for Universal and Blumhouse-Atomic Monster, with horror auteur Mike Flanagan (Midnight Mass) at the directing helm.
The filmmaker also serves as writer and producer on the upcoming instalment, which has been described as a “radical new take” on the original pic set in the same universe. Other details, including plot specifics, a release date, and additional cast members, are under lock and key for now, but what’s known is that it won’t be a sequel to 2023’s The Exorcist: Believer, initially planned to jumpstart a new trilogy.
Directed by William Friedkin, the 1973 original followed the demonic possession of a young girl and the attempt to rescue her through an exorcism by two Catholic priests. It starred Ellen Burstyn, Linda Blair, Max von Sydow, and Jason Miller, with the former two reprising their roles in Believer.
Leslie Odom Jr., Lidya Jewett, newcomer Olivia O’Neill, Jennifer Nettles, Norbert Leo Butz, and Ann Dowd join the pair in the sequel that centres on a photographer who must confront the nadir of evil when his daughter and her best friend are possessed. It grossed US$137 million at the global box office and didn’t generate enough buzz for follow-ups.
The new Exorcist film won’t be Johansson’s first stab at reviving a major franchise for Universal; her most recent dino-led adventure, co-starring Jonathan Bailey (Bridgerton), was one of the three movies to clear the US$750 million mark this year and set her up as Hollywood’s highest-grossing lead actor before inflation adjustment, ahead of fellow Marvel counterparts Samuel L. Jackson and Robert Downey Jr.
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.
