Mike Flanagan Aims to Make ‘The Exorcist’ His Scariest Movie Yet

David Gordon Green’s planned The Exorcist trilogy, which began with the poorly received The Exorcist: Believer, is no more, with Blumhouse pivoting down a bold new path instead.

Mike Flanagan will be directing the next installment in the franchise for Blumhouse and Morgan Creek, and it’s already been dated for theatrical release on March 13, 2026.

While plot details are currently under wraps, the new film will tell an all-new story set in The Exorcist universe and it’s definitely NOT a sequel to last year’s The Exorcist: Believer.

Flanagan’s feature is said to be a “radical new take for the franchise,” and he teases his vision for the franchise’s big screen return in a new chat with The Hollywood Reporter this week.

“We aren’t making this easy on ourselves,” Flanagan tells the site. “But I’ve always felt that there’s no point in going into a franchise or into a property that monolithic unless there’s something new you can bring. I chased The Exorcist very aggressively because I was convinced I had something that I could add.”

He continues, “This is an opportunity to do something that I believe has never been done within the franchise — something that honors what came before it but isn’t built on nostalgia. I really just saw an opportunity to make the scariest movie I’ve ever made. I know expectations are high. No one’s more intimidated than I am.”

Flanagan previously said in a statement, “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. Reuniting with my friends at Blumhouse, with whom I’ve made some of my favorite pieces of work, only makes this more exciting.”

The film will be produced by Trevor Macy on behalf of Intrepid Pictures and Flanagan via his new Red Room Pictures banner. John Scherer will also be working on the film on behalf of Intrepid. This film marks the fourth collaboration for Flanagan and Blumhouse; he wrote and directed Oculus (2013), Hush (2016) and Ouija: Origin of Evil (2016), all also produced by Macy.

‘The Exorcist’