Jennifer Nettles, lead vocalist of the country duo Sugarland and a successful solo artist, got into acting by playing Dolly Parton’s mother in the 2015 TV movie Dolly Parton’s Coat of Many Colors. Since then she has appeared in the sequel to that movie, Dolly Parton’s Christmas of Many Colors: Circle of Love, performed in Chicago and Waitress on Broadway, had roles in the film Harriet and the TV series Underground, and appeared on multiple episodes of the HBO show The Righteous Gemstones… which happens to be executive produced by David Gordon Green, director of the recent trilogy of Halloween sequels. Now Green is in production on the first of what he intends to be a trilogy of sequels to the 1973 classic The Exorcist (watch it HERE) – and Variety has revealed that he brought Nettles into this project with him. Nettles is said to have a “primary role” in Green’s first Exorcist movie.
Nettles joins a cast that includes original Exorcist star Ellen Burstyn reprising the role of Chris MacNeil; Leslie Odom Jr. (Hamilton) as a character who tracks down Chris MacNeil after his child becomes possessed; Lidya Jewett (Nightbooks), Ann Dowd (The Handmaid’s Tale), and newcomer Olivia Marcum in unspecified roles; and Raphael Sbarge (Carnosaur) as a pastor.
Green crafted the story for The Exorcist 2023 with Peter Sattler (Broken Diamonds), then wrote the screenplay with Danny McBride (who wrote all three of the new Halloweens with him) and their Halloween Kills co-writer Scott Teems. Story details are being kept under wraps.
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, McBride, and Couper Samuelson serve as executive producers. Ryan Turek is overseeing the project for Blumhouse.
Green’s The Exorcist is scheduled to be released on October 13, 2023. Are you looking forward to seeing the film? What do you think of Jennifer Nettles being added to the cast? Let us know by leaving a comment below.