Just a couple days ago, it was announced that Universal and Peacock had forked over an amount somewhere in the range of $400 million to acquire the rights to distribute a new trilogy of Exorcist sequels that are being developed by Blumhouse Productions, Morgan Creek Entertainment, and director David Gordon Green. Like Blumhouse and Green brought Jamie Lee Curtis back to the Halloween franchise for the new trilogy of Halloweens they began in 2018, they're also bringing Ellen Burstyn back to the Exorcist franchise as Chris MacNeil, the character she played in the 1973 classic The Exorcist (watch it HERE). But if Burstyn is coming back as Chris MacNeil, will Linda Blair also be reprising the role of Chris's formerly possessed daughter Regan? Blair took to social media to let fans know that she hasn't been contacted about the project. Not yet, anyway.
Blair released the following statement:
To all my fans asking about my involvement in the new Exorcist reboot, as of now there has not been any discussion about me participating or reprising my role. I wish all those involved the best and I appreciate the loyalty and passion the fans have for The Exorcist and my character."
While we wait to see if Blair will have any involvement with the next Exorcist (or the following sequels), it is known that the new sequel is set to star Leslie Odom Jr. as a character who
tracks down Chris MacNeil after his child becomes possessed.
The new Exorcist is scheduled to reach theatres on October 13, 2023 – just in time for the 50th anniversary of the original film.
Jason Blum, David Robinson, and James Robinson are producing the film. 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 has written all three of the new Halloweens with him) and their Halloween Kills co-writer Scott Teems.