Blumhouse Productions continues to stake its claim as the premiere horror studio of the 21st century. One of its latest projects is a sequel to the venerable Exorcist franchise, which Blumhouse no doubt hopes will revitalize the property so it can fruitfully be spun into another strong IP for the company. According to Observer, the studio already has its sights set on a specific director.
David Gordon Green's most recent horror project was the 2018 reboot of Halloween. The film was a direct sequel to the 1978 film Halloween, and it effectively retconned out of existence every film in the franchise. This project was also produced by Blumhouse, and was successful enough that a sequel is already in the works, with Green and Jamie Lee Curtis set to direct and star respectively.
The Exorcist is in a strangely similar position, having been a 1973 horror film that was incredibly successful, spawning a long line of sequels and spin-offs. It seems possible that Blumhouse may be taking a similar tack with this franchise as well, creating a sort of spiritual reboot that pulls heavily from the original film, while ignoring later, less remembered, entries.
That would likely be for the best, considering that every attempt at a sequel fell short of the high standards set by the original film. Part of the success of The Exorcist was the controversy of it all. The depiction of demonic possession in an explicitly religious context combined with graphic imagery stirred up a lot of attention that couldn't be recaptured by further installments.
Perhaps this new take on the IP will attempt to recapture that same magic by being transgressive for modern audiences in the same way the original was for those watching in 1973. Blumhouse is certainly no stranger to tackling touchy subjects and injecting fairly explicit social commentary into their films, so maybe they're well primed to re-invent a classic film like The Exorcist.
As for now, there is very little info available for what this reboot might look like. No official announcements or synopses have been given, and David Gordon Green has yet to comment on the rumors of his involvement. Jason Blum, David Robinson and James Robinson are reportedly involved as producers, and it seems likely that the film will begin work sometime after Halloween Kills wraps up production.
Source: Observer