Exorcist Reboot May Reunite Mike Flanagan With Rebecca Ferguson, Director Teases
The most recent Exorcist reboot, “The Exorcist: Believer,” was released a mere two years ago, and featured the clout of Universal Pictures, Blumhouse Productions, and returning actor Ellen Burstyn behind it. However, it brought in disappointing box-office receipts, reviews that largely derided it as an IP cash-grab, and four Razzie nominations.
The failure of “The Exorcist: Believer” has prompted a lot of creative reconsideration: its two planned follow-ups were scrapped, director David Gordon Green left the project, and Mike Flanagan has come in to wipe the slate clean with a fresh Exorcist reboot. Now, there’s a strong possibility that this reboot will star an A-list actor from one of Flanagan’s best-received previous horror films.
Mike Flanagan – An Overview
Mike Flanagan, who will direct the upcoming Exorcist reboot, has spent the past decade and a half making his mark in horror. His first wide-release film (after 11 years of student films), 2011’s “Absentia,” had a $70,000 budget raised in part through crowdfunding, and was praised as a strong genre debut. His five subsequent films – “Oculus” (2013), “Hush,” “Before I Wake,” “Ouija: Origin of Evil” (2016 releases all), and “Gerald’s Game” (2017) – were all well-received, too.
Flanagan’s Exorcist reboot (the original work in the franchise was a 1971 novel by William Peter Blatty) will be the latest in his recent trend of putting a modern spin on the tales of classic horror writers, including Edgar Allan Poe (2023’s “The Fall of the House of Usher”), Henry James (2020’s “The Haunting of Bly Manor”), and Shirley Jackson (2018’s “The Haunting of Hill House”).
Flanagan’s filmography also includes three adaptations from the oeuvre of a still-living novelist: Stephen King. “Gerald’s Game,” based on a 1992 novel, was his first adaptation of a King work; the other two are “The Life of Chuck” (2024) and 2019’s “Shining” sequel, “Doctor Sleep.” (He is also slated to direct a miniseries adaptation of “Carrie“).
Rebecca Ferguson – A Star of “Doctor Sleep” Acclaim
The 2019 film marks Flanagan’s previous collaboration with one of the would-be stars of his Exorcist reboot: Rebecca Ferguson. Ferguson, whose other, very copious and prominent screen credits include three “Mission Impossible” films, “The Girl on the Train,” the “Dune” films, and most recently “A House of Dynamite,” played “Doctor Sleep”‘s chief villain, the leader of a cult of vampires who prey on kids who have the power of “the shine.” Her performance was widely praised and earned her a Best Supporting Actress win from the 2020 Fangoria Chainsaw Awards.
A Ferguson-Flanagan “Exorcist” Reunion?
Flanagan has made it very clear that he’d like nothing more than to work with Ferguson again – on his Exorcist reboot, if possible. While attending the Motor City Comic Con, held in Novi, Michigan between November 14 and 16, he remarked (as reported in ScreenRant) on how she’s been a very busy actor of late, what with her work on “A House of Dynamite,” the forthcoming third season of “Silo,” and the recently-completed shoot of “Dune: Part Three.”
Nonetheless, Flanagan explained, “we’re in constant contact… She’s always booked, but one of these days, it’ll work out for sure. I can’t give away the name of the character, but when I first got ‘The Exorcist,’ she was one of my first phone calls.”
It’s too soon to say whether this phone call successfully reunited Flanagan and Ferguson. At present, no title, release date, actors’ names, or plot details have been made public in regard to this Exorcist reboot. In May of 2024, Blumhouse described this film via Deadline as “a radical new take,” and co-producer David Robinson predicted that “[Flanagan’s] vision for this franchise is going to stun audiences worldwide.”
Will Ferguson turn in a similarly stunning, “Doctor Sleep”-worthy performance as a battler, abettor, or victim of demonic possession? Distinguished talent didn’t save the last Exorcist reboot, but it’s still very encouraging to see the likes of Flanagan and now potentially Ferguson attached to Blumhouse’s next attempt.
