Linda Blair probably won’t appear in Fox’s The Exorcist, but she wants to

Last Updated on July 31, 2021

Fox's series based on The Exorcist is set to possess TV screens this Friday, and just in time, one of the most important figures in Exorcist history has chimed in: Linda Blair. In an interview with Forbes, Blair said that:

I am looking forward to seeing what they do. They are trying to come up with different scary stories that have to do with the paranormal and exorcism. They keep mentioning my name when they talk about it and I’m like, ‘Stop teasing me. Put up or shut up.’

On whether or not she'll be making a cameo in the show, she said:

They haven’t contacted me or reached out at all. If they want to play ball, let’s play ball. I should be involved but they have never invited me to. So far they have only said it to the press. We wish them all the best, we really do. Geena Davis is a huge fan of it all and I’m a huge fan of hers so of course, I’m going to wish them good luck with it. I don’t want people to fail, that’s not who I am.

Come on guys, let her in! At least for one episode. Maybe she can play a creepy figure in a nightmare. Or hell, a friendly neighbor offering her support. That would be a fun change, wouldn't it? I think this could be a good sign that the show isn't trying to exploit its connection to the original film any more than the title already has, but if Blair wants to do it I say let her do it.

Described as a "propulsive psychological thriller", the show will follow:

two very different priests tackling one family’s case of horrifying demonic possession.

FATHER TOMAS ORTEGA (Alfonso Herrera, “Sense8,” “The Chosen”) is the new face of the Catholic Church: progressive, ambitious and compassionate. He runs a small but loyal parish in the suburbs of Chicago. He has no idea that his quiet life is about to change forever.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, another priest finds himself locked in a life-and-death struggle with evil. FATHER MARCUS BRENNAN (Ben Daniels, “Flesh and Bone,” “House of Cards”) is a modern-day Templar Knight, an orphan raised since childhood by the Vatican to wage war against its enemies. Father Marcus is everything Father Tomas is not: relentless, abrasive and utterly consumed by his sacred mission.

Caught in the middle is the RANCE family, members of Tomas’ parish. On the surface, they’re a normal, suburban family, but all is not as it seems in this household. The patriarch, HENRY RANCE (guest star Alan Ruck, “Spin City,” “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off”), is slowly but surely losing his mind. Eldest daughter KATHERINE (Brianne Howey, SCREAM QUEENS) has become a recluse who refuses to leave her room. Her younger sister, CASEY (Hannah Kasulka, “The Fosters”), thinks she’s hearing strange noises coming from inside the walls. And mother ANGELA (Academy Award and Golden Globe winner Geena Davis, “Commander in Chief,” “Thelma & Louise”) has been plagued by recurring nightmares, each more frightening than the last.

Angela believes there is something in the house, a demonic presence, growing stronger by the day. Desperate, she begs Father Tomas for help, unwittingly setting the naïve young priest on a collision course with Father Marcus. Separately, each faces an insurmountable task, but together they become the only hope against an evil force that has been mobilizing for centuries.

The pilot episode was written by Jeremy Slater (THE LAZARUS EFFECT) and directed by Rupert Wyatt (RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES). The series will premiere on Fox on Friday, September 23rd from 9 to 10PM.