Blumhouse's The Exorcist Reboot Wraps Filming
The Exorcist is the latest horror franchise to get a "requel" with Halloween (2018), Halloween Kills, and Halloween Ends director David Gordon Green helming the newest installment. Horror fans are especially excited about the new film because it marks the first since the original that will see Ellen Burstyn as Chris MacNeil. The film is also set to star Leslie Odom Jr. (Hamilton, Glass Onion), Ann Dowd (The Handmaid Tale), Jennifer Nettles (The Righteous Gemstones), Raphael Sbarge (Once Upon a Time), Lidya Jewett (Good Girls), dancer Okwui Okpokwasili, and newcomer Olivia Marcum. According to a new report from Deadline, the legacy sequel has officially wrapped production.
In addition to the news that The Exorcist has wrapped filming, it was also revealed that veteran producer Stephanie Allain has joined the film as an executive producer. "I've known Stephanie for years – she's the coolest and steadiest producer around, and I'm thrilled we're finally able to work together," producer Jason Blum shared. "I'm so delighted to join Blumhouse, DGG, Leslie Odom, Jr., and this remarkable cast and crew on a frightening new iteration of one of my favorite films," Allain added.
What Is The Excorcist (2023) About?
The upcoming movie is set to star Odem Jr. as the father of a possessed child, who turns to Burstyn's character for help. Green's Halloween ignored every film after the John Carpenter-directed 1978 Halloween, which is expected to be the case with the new The Exorcist. The film is expected to disregard the sequels and prequels that followed William Friedkin's 1973 original, which included 1977's Exorcist II: The Heretic, 1990's The Exorcist III, 2004's Exorcist: The Beginning, and 2005's Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist.
Why Is Ellen Burstyn Returning For The Exorcist?
After years of refusing to play Chris MacNeil again, Burstyn recently admitted to The Hollywood Reporter that it was the huge payday that helped get her back.
"You know, what happened was I've turned down many versions of The Exorcist 2. I've said no every time," Burstyn explained. "This time they offered me a whole bunch of money and I still said no. And then they surprised me and they came back and said, 'We doubled the offer.' I said, 'OK, let me think about this.' I thought, 'That's a lot of money. Let me think about it.' The next thought that came to mind was: 'I feel like the devil is asking my price.' And the next thought that came to mind was, 'My price is a scholarship program for talented students at our master's degree program at Pace University. That's my price.' So I then went back and upped their up and ended up getting what I want. And I've got a scholarship program for young actors."
Burstyn added, "And I've shot most of the picture. The writer-director, David Gordon Green, I like very much. I met with him and we talked about the script and so forth and I promised him four more days if he needed them. And he's edited the film and he wants the four days, so I'm going back in November to shoot four more days. And it'll come out in [2023] on the 50th anniversary of The Exorcist, the original."
Universal and Blumhouse's The Exorcist opens in theaters on October 13th.