The Next Exorcist Movie Lines Up One Of The Best Horror Directors Working Right Now

"The Exorcist" franchise might soon receive a new lease on life, courtesy of one of the most prolific horror filmmakers around. After last year's "The Exorcist: Believer" failed to take off either among critics or at the box office, it seemed that Universal Pictures might have to go back to the drawing board before pushing forward with their grand plans for subsequent movies about innocent kids getting possessed by malevolent demons. Those plans took even more of a hit when "Halloween" director David Gordon Green exorcised himself from the series, resulting in the sequel "The Exorcist: Deceiver" getting pushed back indefinitely as the studio searched for another filmmaker.

That search seems to be approaching the finish line, however, and fans will undoubtedly be happy with the No. 1 choice. Late last night, Deadline broke the news that Mike Flanagan (known for "Doctor Sleep," "The Haunting of Hill House," and most recently "The Fall of the House of Usher") is currently in talks to direct the next installment of "The Exorcist" franchise. That means there remains a bit of wiggle room before officially crossing the T's and dotting the I's, but it's pretty self-evident why Universal and Blumhouse would want to extend this offer to Flanagan, who's as reliable, talented, and exciting as genre filmmakers get. Deadline is quick to note that while the original plan was for "The Exorcist: Believer" to usher in an entire trilogy of films, it remains unclear whether Flanagan's deal would include anything more than the next sequel.

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Even the most skeptical of "The Exorcist" fans would have to raise an eyebrow or two over this new development. Many would contend that there's nothing left for this IP to prove that the 1973 original didn't already do (let alone its handful of sequels that mostly represent diminishing returns), but Mike Flanagan's involvement could be exactly the injection of fresh blood that this franchise needs. The horror guru has already established his knack for revitalizing classic titles while putting a new spin on them, as fans now hold up 2019's "Doctor Sleep" as a worthy Stephen King adaptation and a respectable follow-up to something as widely heralded as "The Shining."

It's almost incredible that Flanagan would even have time in his busy schedule to dabble in "The Exorcist," given that recent years alone have seen him debut titles like "Midnight Mass," "The Midnight Club," and even the upcoming Stephen King adaptation "The Life of Chuck," which stars Tom Hiddleston, Mark Hamill, David Dastmalchian, Karen Gillan, and many more, and is tentatively set to bow sometime this year. As for "The Exorcist: Deceiver," the film was delayed from its original April 18, 2025 release. Despite the news, there is no mention of how Flanagan's potential hiring may affect the choice of a new release date. Stay tuned.