David Gordon Green may not direct remaining Exorcist films

Even as The Exorcist: Believer gets panned by critics and looks to be one of the craziest gambles ever by a movie studio – Universal shelled out $400 million for the rights – director David Gordon Green may avoid helming the rest of the planned trilogy. But his decision may have less to do with its reception than just how he operates.

Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, David Gordon Green said it’s quite possible that he’ll get sucked into another project instead of directing more Exorcist movies. “My intention is just to start making things, and as those plans come together, if I find myself in that [The Exorcist: Deceiver] director’s chair, I’d be thrilled… But right now, I’m navigating it from a story perspective and looking at my realities of life as I pivot.” He added, “One of the things that’s been really great between these horror franchises is doing that comedy series on HBO, The Righteous Gemstones. So it’s fun to be able to step away, take a deep breath, have a big laugh, and then get back to work in the genre.”

Even though he directed all three films in the recent Halloween trilogy – which got progressively worse, so that doesn’t bode well for The Exorcist films – David Gordon Green considering opting out of the remainder of this franchise isn’t all that much of a surprise. After all, Green tends to go with whatever catches his attention, resulting in one of the strangest career trajectories in all of movies. From his beginnings as an indie darling with films like George Washington (please watch this if you haven’t) and Undertow to directing stoner comedies like Pineapple Express and Your Highness to a serving as horror franchise resurrector (and whatever he was going for with Our Brand Is Crisis), Green has consistently defied expectations.

Under David Gordon Green, The Exorcist: Believer had a mixture of promise and skepticism leading to its release. But as it stands, it holds a 23% on Rotten Tomatoes, with our own Chris Bumbray giving it a 4/10 and ranking it just ahead of Exorcist II: The Heretic, which is certainly no compliment.

Do you want to see The Exorcist trilogy continue? Could it be better without David Goron Green behind the camera? Give us your take in the comments section below.