After David Gordon Green’s plans for the Exorcist franchise beginning with The Exorcist: Believer fell apart, filmmaker Mike Flanagan was brought into the fold. Flanagan was tapped to create an Exorcist movie that’s since been described as a “radical new take,” something completely separate from former plans to revive the franchise.
Now, according to Flanagan, he hopes that his take on the original classic will become his “scariest movie” yet. For a writer and director that has given horror fans some of the most celebrated films and television shows in the genre over recent years, that’s certainly a major goal to achieve.
As shared with THR, however, Flanagan is completely aware of this. Here’s what he had to share on that front and what he hopes to accomplish by creating a new film following the events of The Exorcist:
“We aren’t making this easy on ourselves. (Laughs.) But I’ve always felt that there’s no point in going into a franchise or into a property that monolithic unless there’s something new you can bring,” he begins.
It seems as though the Doctor Sleep director has been rather persistent about making a new movie under the Exorcist banner, specifically because he believes he has something truly valuable to add.
“I chased The Exorcist very aggressively because I was convinced I had something that I could add. This is an opportunity to do something that I believe has never been done within the franchise — something that honors what came before it but isn’t built on nostalgia. I really just saw an opportunity to make the scariest movie I’ve ever made. I know expectations are high. No one’s more intimidated than I am.”
Stay tuned to ScreenGeek for any additional updates regarding this new Exorcist project as we have them. As mentioned, The Exorcist: Believer did not perform as well as the studio – or fans – had hoped. With Flanagan in the mix, however, there’s certainly a chance to get audiences both excited and scared once again.