“Is Linda Blair going to be in it too?” is the big question everyone’s asking after seeing the trailer for the new Exorcist movie, especially because Oscar® winner Ellen Burstyn is reprising her role as Chris MacNeil, a.k.a. Regan’s mom. (“Regan,” of course, was the unfortunate little girl who was possessed in the original movie, as portrayed by Blair.)
We see Burstyn in the trailer but not Blair—at least not a walking, talking, modern-day live version of her. There is a framed photo of her hanging on some sort of mobile.
Back in March, Dread Central reported that Linda Blair had signed on to David Gordon Green’s new Exorcist reboot, a.k.a. The Exorcist: Believer. If she is in it, it’s likely just a small role, maybe only a cameo. And one the filmmakers are keeping under wraps so tight she hasn’t even been listed among the cast on IMDb. All the better to surprise us with?
But it seems like she should be in it. After all, as Screen Rant said, “it wouldn’t feel right if Blair didn’t appear in any capacity in the sequel.”
Plus, they also point out that Leslie Odom Jr.’s character, who plays the father of one of the possessed girls in the new Exorcist, tracks down Chris MacNeil to enlist her help. As SR so succinctly stated it: “The demon appears to be the same one that possessed Regan in The Exorcist, so it wouldn’t be plausible if Regan never appears, let alone isn’t addressed, in the upcoming film.”
Eventually, the Linda Blair cat will be let out of the bag, especially after the first screenings take place. For now, let’s explore what we know so far about the movie.
The Exorcist: Believer Synopsis
Here’s the synopsis from Universal Pictures:
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.
Cast
The Exorcist: Believer stars Tony winner and Oscar® nominee Leslie Odom, Jr. (One Night in Miami, Hamilton), Lidya Jewett (Good Girls), and newcomer Olivia Marcum.
It also stars Emmy winner Ann Dowd (The Handmaid’s Tale, Hereditary) as Victor and Angela’s neighbor, Grammy winner Jennifer Nettles (Harriet, The Righteous Gemstones), and two-time Tony winner Norbert Leo Butz (Fosse/Verdon, Bloodline) as the parents of Katherine, Angela’s friend.
Release Date
When else would you expect The Exorcist: Believer to be released except around Halloween? Even better, it looks like it’ll happen on Friday, October 13. (Just a little over 50 years from the release of the original.)
Trailer for the New Exorcist Movie
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Are you planning on seeing the new Exorcist movie this Halloween?
Courtney Mroch is a globe-trotting restless spirit who’s both possessed by wanderlust and the spirit of adventure, and obsessed with true crime, horror, the paranormal, and weird days. Perhaps it has something to do with her genes? She is related to occult royalty, after all. Marie Laveau, the famous Voodoo practitioner of New Orleans, is one of her ancestors. (Yes, really! As explained here.) That could also explain her infatuation with skeletons.
Speaking of mystical, to learn how Courtney channeled her battle with cancer to conjure up this site, check out HJ’s Origin Story.
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So, they’re rebooting The Exorcist again. Or is this another sequel?
I’m really not sure what to think of this, but I read an article about what made the original so effective was that the director had been a documentarian before. He gave the film a realism that all the CGI in the world cannot. https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/books/story/2023-07-24/50-years-on-the-exorcist-still-makes-your-head-spin
That’s a good question, Maria! Maybe it’s going to be more like Scream 5: a requel (reboot + sequel). I know they are terming it a sequel…and there will be 2 more to make it a series. Or trilogy.
And what a fantastic article about the original! Thanks for sharing it! It totally hits on why it gripped people back in the day and endures even now that we know Linda Blair was spewing pea soup. I remember my sister’s friends coming home crying terrified after that movie. The whole “based on real events” got them BUT so did the way the movie was constructed. Again, thanks so much for sharing!