The Exorcist: Believer Director Casts Doubt on Directing Next Sequel

The Exorcist: Believer is in theaters now and while the film is expected to be the kickoff of a sequel trilogy for the original Exorcist franchise with a second film, The Exorcist: Deceiver eying a 2025 release, director David Gordon Green is already casting doubts on his directing the next installment. Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter (via Bloody Disgusting), Green said that he has outlines for the next two chapters of the story — and if he ends up directing, then he's happy about it.

"My intention is just to start making things, and as those plans come together, if I find myself in that [The Exorcist: Deceiver] director's chair, I'd be thrilled," Green said. "But right now, I'm navigating it from a story perspective and looking at my realities of life as I pivot."

"And one of the things that's been really great between these horror franchises is doing that comedy series on HBO, The Righteous Gemstones," he added. "So, it's fun to be able to step away, take a deep breath, have a big laugh, and then get back to work in the genre."

Green Has Previously Expressed Excitement About Sequel Possibilities

Green recently spoke with ComicBook.com about the new film alongside producer Jason Blum, and the topic of Halloween came up. During the chat, Green addressed whether or not he will be taking the same trilogy route with The Exorcist.

"Well, it's fun. We had a road map that thought, 'You know, if the world will embrace what we're making here, then we'll keep it going,'" Green explained. "So, we have a nice road map, and then once we got into production, the movie took on a life of its own, and we took some detours on that road. But I'm excited that if this movie is well received and we can keep them cranking, we got some new avenues to explore."

What Is The Exorcist: Believer About? 

You can read the official synopsis for The Exorcist: Believer here: "Since the death of his pregnant wife in a Haitian earthquake 12 years ago, Victor Fielding (Tony winner and Oscar® nominee Leslie Odom, Jr.; One Night in Miami, Hamilton) has raised their daughter, Angela (Lidya Jewett, Good Girls) on his own. But when Angela and her friend Katherine (newcomer Olivia Marcum), disappear in the woods, only to return three days later with no memory of what happened to them, it unleashes a chain of events that will force Victor to confront the nadir of evil and, in his terror and desperation, seek out the only person alive who has witnessed anything like it before: Chris MacNeil." 

The film "also stars Emmy winner Ann Dowd (The Handmaid's Tale, Hereditary) as Victor and Angela's neighbor, and Grammy winner Jennifer Nettles (Harriet, The Righteous Gemstones) and two-time Tony winner Norbert Leo Butz (Fosse/Verdon, Bloodline) as the parents of Katherine." 

The Exorcist: Believer is in theaters now.