The Pope's Exorcist Sequel Reportedly in Development

While it only landed in theaters two weeks ago, a new report from Bloody Disgusting claims that the Russell Crowe-starring The Pope's Exorcist has a sequel heading into development. The nature of the premise means that it is easy to see how the concept could be continued by pitting Crowe's character against all types of otherworldly threats, but with Rotten Tomatoes calculating only 51% positive reviews and the film only having taken in $15 million domestically, it might sound surprising that the studio would already start investing in the franchise. However, the film has taken in $37 million internationally and reportedly only had a production budget of $18 million, so coming weeks could prove the film to be quite profitable, regardless of reviews.

The film is described, "Inspired by the actual files of Father Gabriele Amorth, Chief Exorcist of the Vatican (Academy Award-winner Russell Crowe), The Pope's Exorcist follows Amorth as he investigates a young boy's terrifying possession and ends up uncovering a centuries-old conspiracy the Vatican has desperately tried to keep hidden."

While it's expected that a follow-up film would continue the adventures of Father Amorth, with this being a horror franchise, the concept could be reinvented in a number of ways to allow the concept to continue by centering on unexpected elements. Additionally, while a sequel might be heading into development, that doesn't necessarily mean that it's a project that is confirmed to be moving forward, so the development phase could prove unsuccessful and see that follow-up stagnate.

Ahead of the release, Crowe teased how the inherent concept lent itself well to serialized storytelling.

"As you probably know, every single time anybody on a film production says, 'We're thinking we might be able to make three of four of these,' that's it, not gonna have a sequel, done. As soon as you say it out loud, it's like you put the kibosh on it," Crowe confirmed with the Happy Sad Confused podcast. "The central premise, which I think is clever, because it's a biblical premise. There's 200 fallen angels, it says in the Bible that they were cast and driven underground. The central premise that is 200 physical places across the planet where God is not welcome or where evil sources from, it's a pretty cool idea."

He added, "Who knows? It really is gonna be up to an audience response. If the audience jumps on this and they really like the adventure and want to see it happen again."

Stay tuned for details on the future of The Pope's Exorcist.

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