Universal and Blumhouse have officially tapped Johansson to star in a new Exorcist film written and directed by Mike Flanagan. The project is being positioned as an entirely new story inside the wider Exorcist world, not a follow up to 2023’s The Exorcist Believer. The plan is to start fresh after that earlier reboot attempt stalled out, and the studios look eager to put some distance between the two eras.
Flanagan is a strong pick for a franchise that lives or dies on tone. He has built his reputation on horror that actually cares about characters, whether that is The Haunting of Hill House, Midnight Mass, or The Fall of the House of Usher. Even his theatrical work, like Doctor Sleep and Ouija Origin of Evil, shows he can balance slow burn dread with big emotional swings. He has already teased that this is the scariest film he has ever made, which is a bold statement for someone who has made a career out of grief soaked nightmares.
Johansson joining the cast gives the reboot real weight. She has spent years bouncing between massive blockbusters and sharper character pieces, and she tends to ground even wild material in something human. This will also be one of her biggest steps into full on supernatural horror, which makes the pairing with Flanagan especially interesting. Universal has not shared plot details yet, but production is expected to take place in New York City, and the film remains untitled for now.
The bigger story here is the franchise course correction. Universal paid a huge price for Exorcist rights in 2021 with the intent to launch a new trilogy. Believer still made money, but the critical reaction was rough enough that the studio scrapped the remaining plans, and director David Gordon Green exited the series. Bringing in Flanagan and a star like Johansson signals that this is not a quiet salvage job. It is a deliberate retool built around a filmmaker with a clear voice and an actor who can carry a heavy, adult horror story.
If this team sticks the landing, it could finally give The Exorcist a modern identity that feels earned instead of forced. At minimum, it is the most promising swing the franchise has taken since the rights deal happened, and it is hard not to be curious about what Flanagan does when he is turned loose on one of horror’s most intimidating legacies.
Source: Deadline
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