The Exorcist: Believer director David Gordon Green breaks his silence on his failed reboot and reveals details regarding the cancelled sequels. Released in 1973, William Friedkin's The Exorcist became an iconic entry in the horror genre, and it was followed by five sequels and prequels, the most recent of which came in 2023 with Green's The Exorcist: Believer. The film was the result of NBCUniversal buying the rights to the franchise for a whopping $400 million and was intended to start a new trilogy, but it ended up disappointing critically and commercially, changing those plans.
In a recent interview with IndieWire, Green breaks his silence on the cancellation of The Exorcist: Believer's two sequels. While Green keeps things somewhat vague, he acknowledges that audiences weren't on board with some of his creative choices. As for where the sequels would have gone, the director confirms that filming would have taken place partially in Europe and the story "was going to follow Ann Dowd's character," Ann. Read Green's comment below:
Oh, man. That’s a long answer. It’s complicated. It’s long and complicated. We had our next one written and had it mapped out for the third one. Again, it was ambitious, complicated. We were going to Europe for some pretty extraordinary backdrops. It was one of those things where all of the creative parties got together.
What I’m pitching, in terms of my professional ambition is, I need the creative freedom and give me the budgetary constraints so I can keep control of that. That’s something we learned pretty quickly, [with] expectations that are limitless and really daunting. So, for me to keep that creative freedom and be able to make the choices I wanted to make… As you see with the “Halloween” movies, the choices I make aren’t always the most popular ones.
So it’s trying to make something that me, and my great friends at Blumhouse and Morgan Creek, want [for] that property to be fulfilled, as much as the audience is there and has the appetite for it. I don’t think they were on the journey I was excited about taking.
What The Exorcist: Believer's Failure Means For The Franchise
A New Take Is On The Way
Made on an estimated budget of $30 million, The Exorcist: Believer's box office tapped out at $136.3 million worldwide. While this wouldn't necessarily be a poor result under normal circumstances, the $400 payout for the rights makes this a fairly significant disappointment. What's more, reviews for The Exorcist: Believer were mostly negative from critics, and the film currently has only a 22% on Rotten Tomatoes. The audience score is better, but still mixed at 59%.
Clearly, despite the return of Ellen Burstyn as Chris and a cameo from Linda Blair as Regan, Green's vision for the franchise wasn't resonating, and it was subsequently decided that things would move in a new direction. Horror maestro Mike Flanagan is now developing an Exorcist reboot movie, which has been deemed a "radical new take" on the franchise (per THR). This means that audiences probably shouldn't expect characters like Victor Fielding (Leslie Odom Jr.), Sorenne Fielding (Tracey Graves), Ann, or even Chris to return.
Flanagan is best known for Netflix shows like The Haunting of Hill House (2018) and Midnight Mass (2021), as well as feature films like Hush (2016) and Doctor Sleep (2019).
Our Take On The Exorcist: Believer's Scrapped Sequels
It's For The Best They Aren't Happening
While Green's vague teases do sound interesting, the response to The Exorcist: Believer suggests that it's the right move to have Flanagan step in to do his own reboot. What's more, Green's track record when it comes to horror franchise revivals is spotty as best. After his 2018 Halloween reboot found success, its two sequels, Halloween Kills (2021) and Halloween Ends (2022), were divisive, with the response to the third film, in particular, being quite negative. After The Exorcist: Believer, the franchise could benefit from another fresh start.
Source: IndieWire
The Exorcist: Believer
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Horror
Supernatural
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The Exorcist: Believer is a direct sequel to the original 1973 supernatural horror film by director David Gordon Green and follows Victor Fielding, a father who was forced to raise his daughter alone after his wife died twelve years prior. When Victor's daughter and her friend go missing, the supernatural events that surround their disappearance force him to seek out the only person to have dealt with these horrors before - Chris MacNeil.
- Director
- David Gordon Green
- Release Date
- October 6, 2023
- Studio(s)
- Blumhouse Productions , Morgan Creek Entertainment
- Distributor(s)
- Universal Pictures
- Writers
- Peter Sattler , David Gordon Green
- Cast
- Leslie Odom Jr. , Ellen Burstyn , Ann Dowd , Jennifer Nettles , Lidya Jewett , Olivia Marcum
- Runtime
- 121 Minutes
- Franchise(s)
- The Exorcist
- Sequel(s)
- The Exorcist: Deceiver
- prequel(s)
- The Exorcist
- Budget
- $30 Million
