In what might go down as the least surprising news of the year, The Exorcist: Believer director David Gordon Green has parted ways with Universal and Blumhouse's planned sequel, The Exorcist: Deceiver, which has been taken off the studio's release calendar altogether.
The horror sequel is still expected to see the light of day down the line, but Antoine Fuqua's Michael Jackson biopic will now move into its April 18, 2025 spot.
Although some critics did come out in defence of Believer, the majority of reviews read the film its last rites (it sits at an abysmal 22% on Rotten Tomatoes), but it did manage to pass $100 million at the worldwide box office.
This may not seem like a particularly big win, but Believer had a reported budget of just $30 million (excluding marketing costs), so this was a pretty solid result for Blumhouse and Universal Pictures. Yes, they did pay $400 million for the rights, but that price tag was an all-in IP purchase, which includes at least two more sequels, the Halloween Horror Nights theme park ride, and more.
A third movie to complete the legacy trilogy was also in the works, but we wouldn't be surprised if plans have been scrapped.
"Exactly 50 years ago this fall, the most terrifying horror film in history landed on screens, shocking audiences around the world. Now, on Friday, October 13, a new chapter begins. From Blumhouse and director David Gordon Green, who shattered the status quo with their resurrection of the Halloween franchise, comes The Exorcist: Believer.
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 Exorcist: Believer also stars Ann Dowd as Victor and Angela’s neighbor, and Jennifer Nettles and Norbert Leo Butz as the parents of Katherine, Angela’s friend.
The movie is now available on Digital and streaming services.