The Exorcist: Jason Blum Says Reboot Is “Riskiest Movie” He’s Ever Made

Horror producer Jason Blum has taken some big gambles in Hollywood. Some of those have paid off, like 2018’s Halloween which became the highest-grossing slasher movie of all time. Others less so, like the 2015 reboot of Jem and the Holograms that was a notorious flop. While speaking in a new interview however Blum said that the “riskiest movie” he’s ever made is one that hasn’t come out yet. That movie of course is the upcoming reboot of The Exorcist that he’s producing. Blum will reunite with director David Gordon Green for the feature, but even the tested mettle of their partnership doesn’t mean it’s a sure thing.

Speaking with Indiewire, Blum said this of the project: ‘The riskiest movie I have ever made for sure is not out yet. It’s ‘The Exorcist.’ Just because it’s so expensive. Usually the bar to success on everything we do because it’s inexpensive is incredibly low. For ‘The Exorcist,’ it’s high.” He added a little more context after his interview with the outlet, noting: “It’s not high risk for Blumhouse. We’ve obviously already been paid, but it’s high risk for our partners. So when you ask me what the riskiest thing we’ve ever worked on is, I take that as for us or our financial partners. In the case of ‘The Exorcist,’ that would be the biggest one, because it’s a high risk for Universal.”

As readers may recall, The Exorcist reboot isn’t just a one and done deal. Blumhouse and Morgan Creek Entertainment made a deal with Universal Entertainment and Peacock to distribute the new movie and two sequels. That deal reportedly cost a pretty penny, potentially over $400 million. A price tag like that is exactly why Blum views the film as such a big risk. 

The new film in the series will see originally film stars Ellen Burstyn return as Chris MacNeil with Linda Blair also reprising her role of Regan MacNeil, the original possessed little girl in the 1973 classic. Unlike Green’s Halloween reboot, the new Exorcist movie won’t totally throw out all of the continuity from the other sequels, thoug hit may not acknowledge them either.

“It’s not inaccurate [that it will be a sequel to the original film]. I like all the Exorcist movies. And not only do I like them, I think they can all fall into the acceptable mythology for what I’m doing,” Green told Total Film previously. “It’s not like I’m saying, ‘Pretend that The Exorcist 2 never happened.’ That’s fine to exist. They’re all fine to exist, and I enjoy all of them.”

Universal and Blumhouse’s The Exorcist from Morgan Creek Entertainment opens in theaters on October 13th.