Scarlett Johansson is set to lead a new film in The Exorcist franchise, as Universal and its horror partner Blumhouse pivot away from the abandoned trilogy launched by 2023’s The Exorcist: Believer. The untitled project will be written, directed and produced by Mike Flanagan, who has described his take as the scariest work of his career and a chance to reset one of horror’s most famous brands.
The film is being developed as a standalone story set within the world of the 1973 original rather than a direct sequel or remake. Early descriptions suggest it will not continue the plot threads introduced in Believer, which earned roughly $137 million worldwide on a $30 million budget but was widely regarded as a disappointment given the scale of Universal’s investment and the mixed critical response.
The studio paid more than $400 million in 2021 for rights to a new trilogy and had initially planned two further installments, including The Exorcist: Deceiver, before pulling the sequel from its release calendar and parting ways with director David Gordon Green.
Flanagan’s appointment signals a shift toward a filmmaker-led approach. Known for character-focused supernatural stories in projects such as The Haunting of Hill House and Doctor Sleep, he has said his goal is to honour the atmosphere of the original Exorcist while avoiding simple nostalgia plays. Reports on the new film describe a “radical” direction that aims to do something not previously attempted in the series, with Flanagan given wide latitude to shape tone and story.
Johansson’s casting brings a level of mainstream star power rarely attached to modern studio horror. Recent coverage has noted that she remains one of the most bankable actors in contemporary cinema, and her move into a leading role in a possession film is being read as a vote of confidence in Flanagan’s vision and in Universal’s determination to salvage its sizable bet on the property.
Commentators have framed the project as both an opportunity and a test: if Flanagan and Johansson can deliver a film that connects with audiences beyond nostalgia for the 1973 classic, it could justify the franchise’s costly revival; if not, it may deepen questions about the limits of legacy horror reboots in a crowded theatrical market.
