Blumhouse and Universal Studios have struck a deal with Mike Flanagan to direct a new Exorcist movie, according to Deadline.
Flanagan is best known for the feature films Ouija: Origin of Evil (2016), Gerald's Game (2017), and Doctor Sleep (2019). He has also worked on Netflix series such as The Haunting of Hill House (2018) and The Fall of the House of Usher (2023).
Flanagan has yet to comment on the news.
Blumhouse and Universal, who have also not responded to the Deadline report, bought the rights to The Exorcist franchise from Morgan Creek for $400 million in July 2021.
The studio originally planned a trilogy of new films, starting with The Exorcist: Believer (2023), directed by David Gordon Green. At the time, Universal described the planned trilogy as a “continuation” rather than a remake of William Friedkin's original 1973 film The Exorcist.
Plans were changed after The Exorcist: Believer underperformed at the box office with a $137 million worldwide gross. Green, who was set to direct the follow-up The Exorcist: Deceiver, exited the project in January. The sequel had been set for an April 2025 release.
It is unclear whether Universal and Flanagan will push forward with the originally planned trilogy, or if the film will be a new, standalone entry.
Friedkin's The Exorcist was nominated for ten Academy Awards. This included Best Picture, becoming the first horror film to ever be nominated for that prize. It won the Oscars for Best Adapted Screenplay and for Best Sound. It has also grossed over $441 million at the global box office and launched the Exorcist franchise, which continued with the release of Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977). This was followed by The Exorcist III (1990) and two prequel films; Exorcist: The Beginning (2004) and Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist (2005).
