Mike Flanagan Confirmed To Be Directing New 'Exorcist', Promises A "New Take"

By Andrew Sanford | Film | May 30, 2024 |

By Andrew Sanford | Film | May 30, 2024 |

Horror franchises get rebooted all the time. A film series can be moving along nicely, offering chills and thrills and kills to its rabid audience. Then the studio can put out an entry that is so bad, so devoid of creativity and purpose that … well, they still make a sequel or two because people still went and saw it. But sometimes, a film receives such blowback from fans and critics (but it doesn’t make money) that the slate needs to be wiped clean.

The Friday the 13th franchise has been rebooted. A reboot of the Nightmare On Elm St film series was forced upon us. Child’s Play was rebooted despite the original creator actively making new films and now a TV show (but we know who won there). These are some of the bigger horror franchises, but there are plenty of others. That list includes The Exorcist.

The Exorcist was rebooted just last year. Technically, it had been rebooted on television before that. The TV show was fairly well-received. The film reboot, The Exorcist: Believer, was not. Despite bringing back Ellen Burstyn and Linda Blair for … reasons, the film failed to catch on with anyone. Its director, David Gordon Green, announced that he would not be directing a sequel despite plans for the film to be the beginning of a trilogy. Earlier this month, rumors began to spread about the franchise’s next direction, and now Deadline has confirmed them.

Mike Flanagan, a writer and director responsible for Doctor Sleep, Midnight Mass, and The Haunting of Hill House, has been confirmed to be directing a new Exorcist film for Blumhouse and Morgan Creek. This will be the fourth film he’s made for Blumhouse. Flanagan is no stranger to adaptations and is supposed to be making a television show based on Stephen King’s The Dark Tower. Please, Zod, don’t let the Exorcist get in the way of that.

The director is excited to be tackling The Exorcist, saying, “The Exorcist is one of the reasons I became a filmmaker, and it is an honor to have the chance to try something fresh, bold, and terrifying within its universe. Reuniting with my friends at Blumhouse, with whom I’ve made some of my favorite pieces of work, only makes this more exciting.”

Jason Blum, head of Blumhouse, talked up Flanagan’s take on The Exorcist… universe(?), “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.” Chairman and CEO of Morgan Creek, David Robertson, also Praised Flanagan’s vision, saying, “It’s an honor to be working with Mike. I think his vision for this franchise is going to stun audiences worldwide, and I could not be more excited to be working with him, Trevor, Jason, and the entire Blumhouse Team.”

I trust Mike Flanagan pretty implicitly. so I am on board with this decision. He’s great with religious horror, ala Midnight Mass. I love Doctor Sleep so f***ing much. But please, Mike (we’re close), don’t abandon your journey to the Tower! Seize its wonders, Mike! Unravel its mysteries!!