The Exorcist: Ann Dowd joins Ellen Burstyn in sequel directed by David Gordon Green

A year has already gone by since it was announced that Blumhouse Productions and director David Gordon Green were plotting to follow their trilogy of Halloween sequels by making a trilogy of sequels to the 1973 classic The Exorcist (watch it HERE). Ellen Burstyn was already on board to reprise her Exorcist role of Chris MacNeil in the first of these Blumhouse / Green sequels when the announcement was made, and it was said that the film would be starring Leslie Odom Jr. (Hamilton). Now Burstyn and Odom have finally gained their first co-star: Deadline reports that Ann Dowd has joined the cast of the new Exorcist.

Dowd is best known for playing Aunt Lydia on The Handmaid’s Tale, but she and Green have a decade of history together. After seeing the actress in the Off Broadway play Blood from a Stone, Green suggested that she be cast in the 2012 film Compliance, which he was an executive producer on. That role in Compliance turned out to be a breakthrough for Dowd. She worked with Green again on his 2015 satire Our Brand Is Crisis. Details on the role she’ll be playing in his Exorcist movie have not been revealed.

We do know that Odom is playing a character who 

tracks down Chris MacNeil after his child becomes possessed.

Universal and Peacock paid an amount somewhere in the range of $400 million to acquire the rights to distribute this new Exorcist trilogy. Coming to us from Blumhouse Productions and Morgan Creek Entertainment, the films are being produced by Jason Blum, David Robinson, and James Robinson. Green, Danny McBride, and Couper Samuelson serve as executive producers. Ryan Turek is overseeing the project for Blumhouse.

Green crafted the story for The Exorcist 2023 with Peter Sattler (Broken Diamonds), then wrote the screenplay with McBride (who wrote all three of the new Halloweens with him) and their Halloween Kills co-writer Scott Teems.

Are you looking forward to seeing what Green does with the Exorcist franchise? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

Ellen Burstyn recently implied that she has already shot scenes for the new movie, which is scheduled to be released on October 13, 2023.