The universe of “The Exorcist” is about to expand with a film entrusted to the visionary of Doctor Sleep, The Haunting of Hill House and The Fall of the House of Usher, Mike Flanagan.
Mike Flanagan (The Haunting of Hill House, The Fall of the House of Usher, Stephen King’s Doctor Sleep) has indeed committed to writing, directing and producing what is described as a “radical new version” from The Exorcist with his favorite production company Blumhouse, as well as the company Morgan Creek.
“The Exorcist is one of the reasons I became a filmmaker, and it’s an honor to have the chance to try something new, bold, and terrifying in its universe”Flanagan said. “Reuniting with my friends from Blumhouse, who I’ve made some of my favorite works with, only makes it more exciting.”
The director, through his new production company, Red Room Pictures, will produce the new Exorcist film alongside longtime collaborator Trevor Macy of Intrepid Pictures. This film marks Flanagan’s fourth collaboration and Blumhouse after Oculus (2013), Not a Sound (2016) and Ouija: Origins (2016), all of which were also produced by Macy.
A different vision and a whole new story
It should be noted that the film Mike Flanagan will be a brand new story, and not a sequel to the last film to date, The Exorcist – Devotion of 2023, directed by David Gordon Green who had also planned a trilogy before leaving the franchise after the failure of his film with critics.
“Mike’s voice and vision are indispensable for horror fans and we are thrilled to welcome him back to Blumhouse”said the founder and CEO of Blumhouse, Jason Blum. “I immediately embraced Mike’s new take on the world of The Exorcist and can’t wait for audiences to experience it.”
David Robinson, President and CEO of Morgan Creekadded: “It’s an honor to work with Mike. I think his vision for this franchise will stun audiences around the world, and I couldn’t be more excited to work with him, Trevor, Jason and the entire team at Blumhouse.”
Mike Flanagan is also currently working on The Life of Chuck, a genre story based on a short story by Stephen King that tells three chapters in the life of an ordinary man named Charles Krantz. The film will star Tom Hiddleston, David Dastmalchian, Karen Gillan, Matthew Lillard, Jacob Tremblay and Chiwetel Ejiofor. But not only that: regulars from Flanagan’s universe will also be there such as Samantha Sloyan, Rahul Kohli, Heather Langenkamp, Violet McGraw, Mark Hamill and Kate Siegel of course!
While waiting to be able to see what The Exorcist will look like as seen by Mike Flanagan as well as The Life of Chuck, many of his acclaimed series (The Haunting of Hill House and The Haunting of Bly Manor, Midnight Sermons, La Maison Usher…) can be found on Netflix. To (re)discover Stephen King’s Doctor Sleep, head to Prime Video.
As for The Exorcist (1973), you can find the William Friedkin film that started it all on VOD.