The Exorcist: Believer Behind-the-Scenes Photo Released

One of the more anticipated horror releases of 2023 is The Exorcist: Believer from filmmaker David Gordon Green, which is set to follow the mold of Green’s Halloween films in that they serve as a continuation of the original entry while also helping reboot the franchise. As fans wait for official looks at the project, the Blumhouse official newsletter included a photo from the set of the project, which offers a look at Green observing a creepy symbol scrawled on the floor of a home. The newsletter also included a video message from Green, who shared his excitement about the project. The Exorcist: Believer is set to hit theaters on October 13th.

“The countdown begins,” Green shared in the video message. “We are 134 days away from the release of our film The Exorcist: Believer. Right now, our team is putting the finishing touches on things; we’re excited to bring it to you on the big screen. That’s gonna happen very soon. Keep an eye out here for more updates.”

Similarly to Green’s Halloween trilogy, the upcoming film features a cast that is new to the franchise, while also keeping key components of the original movie. Original stars Ellen Burstyn and Linda Blair will be featured in the film, who star alongside Leslie Odom Jr., Lidya Jewett, Jennifer Nettles, Ann Dowd, Raphael Sbarge, Okwui Okpokwasili, and Olivia Marcum.

William Peter Blatty’s 1971 novel The Exorcist was adapted by director William Friedkin into the 1973 film, which earned the 1977 sequel Exorcist II: The Heretic and the 1990 sequel The Exorcist III. The series also earned a prequel, which underwent a number of behind-the-scenes struggles. 

What first landed in theaters was Exorcist: The Beginning in 2004, which was credited to director Renny Harlin. With this film failing to make much of an impact with audiences or critics, the studio released the original version of the film in 2005 as Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist, directed by Paul Schrader. That version also failed to ignite much interest in the franchise. 

In 2016, the TV series The Exorcist debuted and seemed to be a reinvention of the source material, though the first season concluded with the reveal that we were witnessing a now-adult Reagan (Geena Davis), who was the victim of the original movie. The series got a sophomore season, but was ultimately scrapped.

The Exorcist: Believer will be the first in a trilogy of films.

Are you looking forward to the new movie? Let us know in the comments or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter to talk all things Star Wars and horror!