The Exorcist is getting the David Gordon Green treatment, as the filmmaker is making a direct sequel to the classic horror movie with the new 2023 movie The Exorcist: Believer.
This is a similar playbook that Green did with the Halloween franchise, as he wrote and directed a new trilogy of movies that dropped the multitude of sequels over the years featuring Michael Myers and instead had his story follow directly from the original 1978 Halloween.
While The Exorcist did have a few sequels of its own and many movies have taken the idea and told their own story (including 2023's The Pope's Exorcist), The Exorcist: Believer is going back to the original, bringing back Ellen Burstyn to the role of Chris MacNeil for the first time since the 1973 movie.
That certainly brings a level of excitement to the movie. So, with that in mind, here's everything that we know about The Exorcist: Believer.
The Exorcist: Believer release date
The Exorcist: Believer release date is about as perfect as you can get, as it'll premiere exclusively in movie theaters on October 13 — Friday the 13th.
The sequel arrives almost exactly 50 years after the original, as The Exorcist premiered on December 26, 1973 (merry Christmas).
The Exorcist: Believer plot
Here is the official synopsis for The Exorcist: Believer, written by David Gordon Green and Peter Sattler:
"Since the death of his pregnant wife in a Haitian earthquake 12 years ago, Victor Fielding has raised their daughter, Angela on his own.
"But when Angela and her friend Katherine, disappear in the woods, only to return three days later with no memory of what happened to them, it unleashes a chain of events that will force Victor to confront the nadir of evil and, in his terror and desperation, seek out the only person alive who has witnessed anything like it before: Chris MacNeil."
The Exorcist: Believer cast
The headline grabbing member of the cast is Ellen Burstyn reprising her role as Chris MacNeil. This is one of the Oscar-winning actress' most iconic roles, which throughout her nearly 70-year career has included The Last Picture Show, Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore, Requiem for a Dream, The Fountain and The First Lady.
Burstyn isn't the only big name in The Exorcist: Believer though. Leslie Odom Jr. is set to play Victor Fielding, the father of one of the girls who becomes possessed. Odom Jr. is best known as part of the original Broadway cast of Hamilton, and then on screen with Murder on the Orient Express and One Night in Miami… .
Other members of the cast include Ann Dowd (The Handmaid's Tale, Rebecca), Jennifer Nettles (The Righteous Gemstones, Harriet) and Norbert Leo Butz (Justified: City Primeval, Fosse/Verdon).
Rounding things out are Lidya Jewett as Angela and Olivia Marcum as Katherine, the two girls who become possessed. Jewett has appeared in Good Girls and Hidden Figures, while Marcum is making her screen debut with The Exorcist: Believer.
The Exorcist: Believer trailer
Get your first look at The Exorcist: Believer trailer right here and prepare yourself for the frights that are coming this October:
David Gordon Green movies
David Gordon Green has been on a bit of a horror kick as of late, but the writer, director and producer is comfortable with a range of genres, as evidenced by his work on shows like The Righteous Gemstones (including directing The Righteous Gemstones season 3 episode 5) and Mythic Quest. Here is the full list of his movie directing credits:
- George Washington (2000)
- All the Real Girls (2003)
- Undertow (2004)
- Snow Angels (2007)
- Pineapple Express (2008)
- Your Highness (2011)
- The Sitter (2011)
- Prince Avalanche (2013)
- Joe (2013)
- Manglehorn (2014)
- Our Brand Is Crisis (2015)
- Stronger (2017)
- Halloween (2018)
- Halloween Kills (2021)
- Halloween Ends (2022)
