‘The Exorcist’ Reboot Currently in the Works from Morgan Creek

Deadline reports that a reboot of the classic 70s horror flick “The Exorcist” is currently in the works at Morgan Creek Entertainment. The announcement was made in conjunction with the announcement of a TV reboot of “Dead Ringers” coming to Amazon Prime starring Rachel Weisz.

This will make the sixth installment in the “Exorcist” franchise, and the most recent since 2005’s “Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist.” In total, the “Exorcist” franchise has spawned two sequels and two prequels from the original 1973 film, accumulating $661 million worldwide and making it one of the most financially successful horror movie franchises.

“The Exorcist” follows two priests who are hired by a desperate mother in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. to exorcise her 12-year-old daughter Regan (played by Linda Blair) who has been possessed by the demon Pazuzu.  

The film was based on the 1971 horror novel of the same name from author William Peter Blatty who also adapted his own work by writing the script for the film. The novel in turn was based on a real possession and exorcism case from 1949 that occurred in Georgetown, where the movie takes place, during Blatty’s undergraduate tenure at Georgetown University.

Over the years, the franchise has featured prominent film stars from Richard Burton to George C. Scott to Stellan Skarsgård. No director, screenwriter, or stars have been announced to be attached to the project.

In the meantime, Morgan Creek is developing a TV adaptation of the 1992 cult classic dark comedy “Stay Tuned” for AMC television.

The studio is planning a full theatrical release for “The Exorcist” reboot with a hopeful release date some time in 2021.