Adapting a film into a television series, especially one so revered as THE EXORCIST, is a daunting task, but thanks to the success of Bryan Fuller's Hannibal, we know that it can be done quite well; unfortunately, the times when those attempts fall flat on their faces more often than not. Fox has had a television-adaptation of THE EXORCIST on the books for some time, but just a little over a week ago they finally ordered a pilot for a television series based upon William Blatty's book.
The project seems to be moving forward more quickly now as Fox has set Rupert Wyatt (RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES) to direct the pilot for their new EXORCIST series. There's every chance that a television series based upon THE EXORCIST will be a success, but it's hard to remain optimistic that Fox can pull this off; it's only thanks to Hannibal that I'm holding out any hope at all, assuming Fox is able to recognize and build on what Bryan Fuller was able to achieve. The new series is being described as a modern reinvention inspired by William Blatty’s book, as well as "a propulsive, serialized psychological thriller following two very different men tackling one family’s case of horrifying demonic possession, and confronting the face of true evil." There's definitely potential there, but whether Rupert Wyatt and Fox can pull it off remains to be seen.