Last fall, cinephiles and horror fans were up in arms when production company Morgan Creek revealed they were selling off their film library, but hanging on to five properties for remake purposes: "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective," "Major League," "Young Guns," "Flying Tigers," and "The Exorcist." It’s that last title that got the film world’s attention, with director William Friedkin denouncing the proposed project. Morgan Creek reacted swiftly on Twitter, posting "Despite what was printed, we can assure you we would NEVER EVER attempt to remake The Exorcist." Well, so much for that.
READ MORE: The 40 Scariest Movie Moments Of All Time
Fox has ordered a pilot for a TV series based on William Petter Blatty‘s "The Exorcist," something Morgan Creek shopped around Hollywood back in 2013, for the 40th anniversary of the film. Jeremy Slater (co-writer on last year’s disastrous "Fantastic Four") penned the script for what is being called a "modern reinvention" of the story of two different men who grapple with a family’s demonic possession. So, in other words, a remake.
Perhaps we were all naive to think that Morgan Creek would really sit on what is arguably the most valuable franchise under their roof. Indeed, prior to 2013, "Martha Marcy May Marlene" director Sean Durkin was attached to direct a 10-part miniseries version of "The Exorcist" that would’ve been both a prequel to the movie and an expansion of the story, but that didn’t get off the ground.
No word yet from Friedkin about this latest news, but I imagine his head will spin. [Deadline]
@WilliamFriedkin Despite what was printed, we can assure you we would NEVER EVER attempt to remake The Exorcist.
— Morgan Creek (@Morgan__Creek) September 28, 2015
