‘The Exorcist: Deceiver’: Mike Flanagan Confirms Will Not Make Its Release Date!!

Fans of the acclaimed Exorcist franchise will sadly not get the highly anticipated reboot anytime soon. Originally scheduled for March 13, 2026, Mike Flanagan’s The Exorcist will unfortunately be delayed, as confirmed by the filmmaker himself via Tumblr. Over a year ago, it was announced that Flanagan was writing, directing, and producing “a radical new take” on the horror sequel with the genre producer, Blumhouse, and Morgan Creek. The sequel’s announcement followed David Gordon Green‘s 2023 film The Exorcist: Believer, which was poorly received with only negative reviews from critics.

Flanagan’s The Exorcist reboot is utterly unrelated to Believer and will provide a unique perspective for viewers. The film currently has no revised release date yet, as production hasn’t even started, according to the director. Apparently, he wants to wrap up his current Carrie project, the upcoming Prime Video series revival, before progressing with The Exorcist. In his words:

“Production hasn’t started [on The Exorcist], we need to finish Carrie first. No way it’s coming out next March. Nothing to worry about though.”

Marking one of several collaborations with Blumhouse, The Exorcist is “one of the reasons” Flanagan admittedly became a filmmaker. He confessed as much in a statement, appreciating the opportunity to “try something fresh, bold, and terrifying” within the universe. In another statement, the acclaimed producer described the reboot as a chance “to make the scariest movie I’ve ever made.” He elucidated:

“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.”

‘The Exorcist’ Has A Long, Terrifying History

Despite not being the top-grossing franchise in the horrorverse, The Exorcist remains one of its most significant. The franchise can be traced back to the 1973 film inspired by William Peter Blatty‘s 1971 horror novel of the same name. It was directed by William Friedkin and starred Ellen Burstyn, Linda Blair, Max von Sydow, and Jason Miller. John Boorman‘s Exorcist II: The Heretic followed in 1977 as a non-canon sequel before The Exorcist III’s debut in 1990, which was adapted and directed by author Blatty from his 1983 novel Legion. It starred George C. Scott, Miller from the 1973 film, Ed Flanders, Scott Wilson and George DiCenzo. In the early 2000s, only two movies were released in the franchise: Exorcist: The Beginning in 2004 and Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist in 2005. About a decade later, The Exorcist TV series was released as a direct sequel to the original 1973 film and next came The Exorcist: Believer in 2023.