Scarlett Johansson to Star in New ‘Exorcist’ Horror Movie for Blumhouse, Universal

Scarlett Johansson will star in Mike Flanagan’s “fresh, bold” take on The Exorcist.

Blumhouse and Universal are behind the latest attempt to revive the horror franchise, which follows the companies’ ill-fated effort to launch a franchise with 2023’s The Exorcist: Believer.

Flanagan wrote the script and is directing and producing the new feature that is not a remake nor a sequel but set in the Exorcist “universe,” whatever that entails.

The original Exorcistbased on the novel by William Peter Blatty and directed by William Friedkin, focused on the demonic possession of a young girl and the priests who try to save her. The film was nominated for 10 Oscars. The various follow-ups mostly featured stories centered on the girl (now grown-up), the back stories of the priests or other demonic cases detectives from the first movie investigated.

“The Exorcist is one of the reasons I became a filmmaker, and it is an honor to have the chance to try something fresh, bold and terrifying within its universe,” is how Flanagan described the project when his involvement was announced in May 2024.

At the time, David Robinson, chairman and CEO of Exorcist rights holder Morgan Creek, said, “I think his vision for this franchise is going to stun audiences worldwide.”

Details on the take are being kept strapped to the bed.

Among the producers on the project is Trevor Macy, via Intrepid Pictures. Flanagan, who is known for directing Stephen King adaptations such as Doctor Sleep and Gerald’s Game as well as creating TV shows such as Midnight Mass and The Haunting of Hill Houseis producing via his Red Room Pictures banner.

Johansson last starred in Universal’s Jurassic World: Rebirthwhich grossed over $868 million worldwide and proved that the studio’s long-standing dino movie series still had the chops when it came to attracting audiences.

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