Universal has named Mike Flanagan’s new entry in “The Exorcist” franchise “The Exorcist: Martyrs,” confirming what fans suspected for months and setting a March 12, 2027, theatrical release.
Scarlett Johansson and “Hamnet” child actor Jacobi Jupe star. The studio has not disclosed the plot, and the film has no ties to 2023’s “The Exorcist: Believer.” Flanagan wrote and directed the project and produces alongside Jason Blum and David Robinson, who oversees the franchise for Morgan Creek. Blumhouse’s Atomic Monster banner and Morgan Creek are the production companies, working with Flanagan’s Red Room Pictures. Alexandra Magistro and Ryan Turek serve as executive producers.
The name first surfaced in the spring when it appeared on the Red Room website. Other reports place Chiwetel Ejiofor, Diane Lane, Laurence Fishburne, John Leguizamo and Sasha Calle in the cast, along with Flanagan regulars Carla Gugino, Kate Siegel, Rahul Kohli, Samantha Sloyan and Hamish Linklater. Cameras rolled in New York earlier this year, with location shots in the Bronx and Astoria. Several outlets have described Johansson as a small-town detective and Jupe as her son. Neither the studio nor the filmmakers have confirmed those details, and they should be read as unverified.
The film carries weight for Universal. The studio paid $400 million in 2021 for the rights to the franchise, which William Friedkin launched in 1973. Adjusted for inflation, that original remains the highest-grossing horror film ever released. The investment faltered with “Believer,” which featured the return of Ellen Burstyn. The film grossed $137 million worldwide, drew poor reviews and killed plans for a planned trilogy. Flanagan, whose reputation grew with the Netflix series “The Haunting of Hill House,” came aboard in 2024 to start fresh.
His schedule is crowded. Flanagan wrote the DC Comics horror film “Clayface,” which opens later this month, and he serves as showrunner on a new Stephen King adaptation of “Carrie” that premieres this week on Prime Video.
For a director who has built a following by pairing grief and family drama with supernatural dread, the franchise offers a rare chance to reset a property that has struggled to match its origin. Universal has set the release for the weeks just before the spring box office season, a spot that suggests confidence in the filmmaker.
