The Exorcist is returning to theaters, with a reboot set for 2023. The original film, released in 1973, is regarded as one of the best horror movies of all time, winning two Oscars, including Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium. The movie starred Ellen Burstyn, Max von Sydow, Linda Blair, and Lee J. Cobb, catapulting the stars into the Horror hall of fame.
Now, Leslie Odom Jr. will join the franchise, with Ellen Burstyn reprising her role as Chris MacNeil in the long-awaited follow-up. David Gordon Green, known for his work on the Halloween reboot, is helming the monumental project. Of course, this isn’t the first sequel in the franchise. However, The Exorcist will look to regain the prominence it once had with the 2023 release. Odom Jr. recently spoke with Deadline on the red carpet of his latest film, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, and he teased what fans can expect from the upcoming installment.
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Luckily production is well underway, and fans can look forward to what could be the next big horror franchise. The Exorcist has the talent, filmmaker, and writing to be a successful film, though fans will have to decide for themselves next year. The 2023 movie will likely act as an official sequel to the first film, as Halloween (2018) did with lead Jamie Lee Curtis. Fans can find out more as The Exorcist inches closer to its release date, set for Oct. 13. 2023, nearly 50 years after the original.
“It’s very exciting. Yeah we’re on week four, I’m having a ball with David Gordon Green and this cast. I hope and believe that we’re making something - first of all really scary and fun, but also meaningful and deep.”
The Exorcist Has Seen Numerous Sequels & Reboots
After the initial success of The Exorcist, a sequel, titled Exorcist II: The Heretic, was released in 1977. Though several cast members returned, including Linda Blair and Max von Sydow, the film was widely panned by critics and audiences. It would be 13 years until a third film arrived in 1990 with The Exorcist III. The project was helmed by William Peter Blatty, the author of the novels the movies are based on. Though the film was regarded as better than the second, it failed to reach the heights of the original installment.
In 2004, a reboot titled Exorcist: The Beginning arrived, with a terrible reception from audiences. Dominion was released in 2005, serving as a prequel to The Exorcist though it also received negative reviews. In 2016, a television series titled The Exorcist was released, with a favorable reception from audiences, though the low viewership led to an eventual cancelation after season 2.
Can the upcoming reboot succeed where so many interpretations failed? With David Gordon Green behind the camera, anything is possible, though the task is daunting. Fans can see how the latest reboot fairs when The Exorcist arrives in theaters in October 2023.
