David Gordon Green has exercised his option to leave the director’s chair of The Exorcist: Deceiver, the sequel to last year’s The Exorcist: Believer. The film has been taken off Universal‘s release calendar for now; it was originally slated for release on April 18, 2025, but will be delayed as the studio searches for a new helmer. Meanwhile, that date has now been handed off to Michael, the upcoming Antoine Fuqua-directed Michael Jackson biopic, which will star Jackson‘s nephew Jafaar Jackson as the late singer. THR has the news that Green will instead focus on the production of his upcoming holiday film Nutcrackers, which will be Ben Stiller‘s return to the big screen after a lengthy hiatus, and the upcoming fourth season of his acclaimed HBO mega-church comedy-drama The Righteous Gemstones.
When Green came on to helm the planned Exorcist trilogy, the pairing of director with franchise seemed like a slam dunk for Universal. Green had just finished his trilogy of Blumhouse Halloween movies, which revived that once-moribund slasher franchise by ignoring its bevy of sequels, remakes, and reboots, instead acting as a direct sequel to the 1978 film, with star Jamie Lee Curtis in tow.
Universal surely hoped it would do the same for The Exorcist, which had remained in the bowels of franchise hell since the disastrous release of two dueling Exorcist prequels in 2004 and 2005; they paid a reported $400 million to acquire full rights to the franchise. However, returns for The Exorcist: Believer were disappointing; while the film made $137 million on a $30 million budget (which was softer than expected), and the critical reviews may have made executives’ heads spin; the film rated a 22% “Rotten” rating on Rotten Tomatoes. In his review, Collider‘s Chase Hutchinson found that the movie “isn’t particularly scary, as nothing visually holds the same mesmerizing power as Friedkin’s work, and the whole thing seems increasingly scattered.”
What Happened in ‘The Exorcist: Believer’?
Set in the modern day, decades after the events depicted in William Friedkin‘s 1973 horror classic, The Exorcist: Believer stars Leslie Odom Jr. as Victor Fielding, a single father who lost his faith after his pregnant wife was killed in an earthquake. Now living in rural Georgia, his daughter Angela and her friend Katherine disappear for three days; when they are finally found, they both exhibit signs of demonic possession. Coming to their aid is Chris MacNeil (Ellen Burstyn), whose own daughter, Regan, had undergone a similar trial in the first film. A harrowing exorcism from Victor’s neighbor, ex-nun Ann (Ann Dowd) ensues. The film also features a brief cameo from Linda Blair, reprising her role as Regan from the original film and its much-maligned sequel, Exorcist II: The Heretic.
Formerly planned to be released on April 18, 2025, The Exorcist: Deceiver will be delayed as Universal seeks a new director to replace David Gordon Green. Stay tuned to Collider for future updates.
via Collider