Horror maestro Mike Flanagan is reportedly in talks to direct the next Exorcist movie for Blumhouse and Universal Pictures.
According to Deadline, Flanagan's head could spin towards The Exorcist franchise after being tapped to take on the next installment. If he accepts, Flanagan will pick up the reins from David Gordon Green, who directed The Exorcist: Believer, the first in a planned trilogy of movies based on William Friedkin's 1973 horror classic.
Green stepped away from helming the sequel in January, at which point the movie also lost its April 2025 release date. Reports indicated that Green wanted to prioritize other projects after working on Believer, which underperformed at the box office and received mixed reviews from critics.
Flanagan has delivered his fair share of scares over the years, having directed several films and TV shows in the horror genre, including Oculus, Hush, Gerald's Game, and Doctor Sleep. He also created, wrote, produced, and served as showrunner on the Netflix series The Haunting of Hill House, The Haunting of Bly Manor, Midnight Mass, The Midnight Club, and, more recently, The Fall of the House of Usher.
The Exorcist franchise began with the 1973 film directed by William Friedkin. It starred Ellen Burstyn as Chris MacNeil – an actress and mother who finds her daughter Regan possessed by a demonic presence. The latest film, Believer, brought Burstyn's character back to help free two new children from the clutches of evil.
IGN's review of The Exorcist: Believer noted that "double the possession" ended up equating to "double the problems." It may have been "a serviceable horror movie on its own merits, but a disappointing revival for a cornerstone of horror cinema," which "would have benefitted from a leaner, more measured approach."
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Adele Ankers-Range is a freelance entertainment writer for IGN. You can follow her on X/Twitter @AdeleAnkers.
