Mike Flanagan to direct new film

Mike Flanagan, an image from “The Exorcist: Believer”

Sila Shiloni; Everett

The Exorcist franchise gets a facelift following polarizing response to last year The Exorcist: Believer.

Horror maestro Mike Flanagan will write, direct and produce what Blumhouse describes as a “radical new take” on the franchise, set in the Exorcist universe but will not be a sequel to Believer.

Flanagan Exorcist The hiring is a notable management change that comes nearly three years after Universal announced a $400 million mega-deal that would allow it to make a trilogy of Exorcist films directed by David Gordon Green, the filmmaker behind the success of Universal and Blumhouse Halloween movies. Those plans were shelved after Green’s speech. Believer received negative reviews and grossed $137 million at the box office.

Flanagan is a prolific and respected actor in the world of horror, known for directing Stephen King adaptations such as Doctor Sleep And Gerald’s game and create television shows such as Midnight Mass, The Haunting of Hill House And The Fall of House Usher. His involvement in Exorcist rumors swirled for weeks afterwards The Insider The newsletter reported that he was being sought for the position.

“The Exorcist is one of the reasons I became a filmmaker, and it’s an honor to have the chance to try something new, bold and terrifying in its world. Reuniting with my friends at Blumhouse, who I’ve made some of my favorite works with, only makes things even more exciting,” said Flanagan, who previously worked with the company as a writer and director on Oculus (2013), To silence (2016) and Ouija: the origin of evil (2016).

Producers on the new Flanagan Exorcist The film stars Trevor Macy on behalf of Intrepid Pictures and Flanagan through his new Red Room Pictures banner. Intrepid’s John Scherer also stars in the film.

“Mike’s voice and vision are indispensable for horror fans, and we are thrilled to welcome him back to Blumhouse.” I immediately responded to Mike’s new take on the world of The Exorcist and can’t wait for audiences to experience it,” said Jason Blum, founder and CEO of Blumhouse.

David Robinson, chairman and CEO of Morgan Creek, which owns the rights to The Exorcist: “It’s an honor to work with Mike. I think his vision for this franchise will stun audiences around the world, and I couldn’t be more excited to work with him, Trevor, Jason and the entire Blumhouse team.

Flanagan’s hiring closes the door to planned sequels of Believer, which brought back Ellen Burstyn, who starred in the original 1973 film, considered one of the greatest horror films of all time. It earned 10 Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture.

Flanagan, Macy, Intrepid and Red Room are repped by WME, with VanderKloot Law also representing Flanagan and Reder & Feig handling Macy.