Universal and Blumhouse aren’t ready to give up on their new “The Exorcist” trilogy just yet. Deadline reports that the studios eye horror maestro Mike Flanagan to helm their upcoming sequel “The Exorcist: Deceiver” after David Gordon Green exited the franchise in January. But is that a good idea for all involved?
It’s easy to see why both studios want Flanagan to join their new franchise, as he’s one of the genre’s most respected filmmakers. If anyone could revitalize a franchise flailing after it’s barely even begun, it’s him. But “Deceiver” isn’t the best match for what Intrepid Pictures, Flanagan’s banner with partner Trevor Macy, does creatively. Flanagan and Macy thrive making more horror projects with an emotive, reflective bent, like “Midnight Mass” or “Doctor Sleep.” That’s one reason why Flanagan’s Stephen King adaptations do so well. By comparison, Green’s “The Exorcist: Believer” was a shlocky gross-out shocker that coasted on the legacy casting of franchise vet Ellyn Burstyn. It’s not as if Flanagan couldn’t infuse “Deceiver” with his sensibility; he very well could. And Flanagan does gross-out well when he wants to. Rather, it’s more that his talents may not be enough to get this new “Exorcist” trilogy back on track.
In that sense, it may be wiser for Universal and Blumhouse to abandon their “Exorcist” plans altogether. Critics loathed Green’s “Believer” last year, and while it made ~$136 million worldwide, it opened poorly in the US, taking in only $26.4 million on its first weekend. Those aren’t the numbers the studios expected after they bought the rights to the franchise from Morgan Creek in 2021 for $400 million. To be fair to Green, “Believer” did similarly to how “Halloween Kills” and “Halloween Ends” fared in 2021 and 2022, respectively, but well below the gross of 2018’s reboot “Halloween.” These new “Exorcist” films track to do worse than the “Halloween” ones, so why repair a ship that’s already sinking?
Whatever the case, Green is long gone, having made “Nutcrackers” and returning to HBO‘s “The Righteous Gemstones” in the interim, so “Deceiver” is Flanagan’s if he wants it. But wouldn’t Flanagan fans rather have him tackle something else? His latest King adaptation “The Life Of Chuck“ will likely hit theaters later this year, which free Flanagan up for his long-gestating Christopher Pike adaptation “The Season Of Passage.” Or Flanagan could do something through Intrepid’s new first-look deal with Amazon: maybe that series adaptation of “The Dark Tower“ he’s wanted to do for so long? Fans will get an answer about this once “The Life Of Chuck” gets an official theatrical release date.
In any case, Blumhouse and Universal still plan to finish their “Exorcist” trilogy, but “Deceiver” is currently off the release calendar.