Big news coming down the wire: After helping relaunch the ‘Jurassic World’ franchise last year, Scarlett Johansson has lined up her next revitalization project—she’s set to star in the new ‘Exorcist’ film from Blumhouse and director Mike Flanagan.
Last year, Flanagan, hopped on-board to direct the next two ‘Exorcist’ movies. Blumhouse initially set a March 13, 2026 release date for Flanagan’s ‘Exorcist,’ but the film was then quietly pulled from the release schedule earlier this summer, with no explanation. It likely stemmed from Flanagan’s crowded slate, which included shooting his “Carrie” series.
According to Deadline, the ‘Exorcist’ reboot is supposed to be Johansson’s next film, which means a 2026 shoot is probably being eyed for the film, with a 2027 release date very likely.
Flanagan’s coming off last year’s TIFF winner, “The Life of Chuck.” Previously, he had directed 2019’s “Doctor Sleep”, which was based on King’s follow-up to “The Shining”. He’s well-respected within the horror genre, and has amassed a fairly large fanbase, having also helmed “Oculus,” and “Gerald’s Game.” His best film also happens to be his simplest one, the silent terror of “Hush.”
Flanagan reportedly was given “total creative freedom” on this next chapter of the franchise. Universal and Blumhouse are counting on him to steady the Exorcist brand and push it back into fighting shape after the David Gordon Green-directed disaster.
If you recall, back in 2023, Green called it quits on the franchise and decided to sign on to a couple of indies instead. After the poor reception of his “Exorcist: Believer,” there had been reporting that a creative re-think would be done for the next two films, this after Green had expressed doubts about his future participation.
Blumhouse owes Universal two more ‘Exorcist’ movies. The studio shelled out a $400M investment for the rights to the franchise. “Exorcist: Believer” was panned by both critics (22% on RT) and audiences (‘C’ CinemaScore) and ended up only grossing $136M.
The Exorcist franchise has grown to six films, with Flanagan’s being number seven. While the series has had its highs and lows, the original 1973 classic remains untouchable in the eyes of most. “The Exorcist III” earned a dedicated cult following, but the rest of the sequels have largely been seen in a negative light.
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