The sequel to The Exorcist: Believer has been canceled amid Universal Studios and Blumhouse productions going with a “radical new take” on the franchise.
The news follows The Exorcist: Believer massively bombing with only $127 million at the box office, and with reviews from critics (22% Rotten Tomatoes Score), and with fans (59% Audience Score).
The sequel was reportedly titled ” The Exorcist: Deceiver” but again has been scrapped in favor of a complete makeover.
Mike Flanagan developing radical new take
As previously reported, that makeover includes Believer director David Gordon Green getting the boot and its release date getting canceled.
THR now announces a new Exorcist movie is in the works with director Mike Flanagan who will write, direct and produce the “radical new take” on the franchise, described as being set in the Exorcist universe but not as a sequel to Believer.
Mike Flanagan is known for working with Blumhouse on Oculus, Hush, and Ouija: Origin of Evil, and he is also known for Gerald’s Game, Doctor Sleep, The Haunting of Bly Manor, Midnight Mass, The Midnight Club, and The Fall of the House of Usher, and Flanagan recently finished filming on the Stephen King adaptation of The Life of Chuck.
“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,” said Flanagan.
Along with David Gordon Green, some of the Believer producers may have also gotten the boot as Trevor Macy will now be producing along with John Scherer, both of whom have a long history working with Flanagan.
“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,” said Jason Blum, founder and CEO of Blumhouse.
Added David Robinson, chairman and CEO of Morgan Creek, which has the rights to The Exorcist: “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.”
The film gets released on Friday the 13th — March 13, 2026.
What happened?
Universal recently purchased the rights to The Exorcist for $400 million where they hoped Believer would be a bit hit and lead to a new successful trilogy, similar to what David Gordon Green did with the recent Halloween reboot. What happened? The Exorcist went woke.
If you want to watch some cool Exorcist content, go watch on Hulu the two season Fox series that aired from 2016 to 2018 starring Gena Davis that never should have been canceled.
