Mike Flanagan knows his way around a scary movie. We’re talking about the man who directed Hush, Gerald’s Game and Doctor Sleep, not to mention serving as the creator of shows such as The Haunting of Hill House and Midnight Mass. But Flanagan intends to outdo himself with his upcoming reboot of The Exorcist franchise for Blumhouse, as the director plans to make his scariest movie to date.
We learned earlier this year that Flanagan is going to write and director a new Exorcist movie. After last year’s The Exorcist: Believer disappointed both critically and commercially, the studio scrapped plans for David Gordon Green’s trilogy and decided to let Flanagan have a crack at it. In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the filmmaker explained his approach to the franchise, saying the following:
“We aren’t making this easy on ourselves. (Laughs.) But I’ve always felt that there’s no point in going into a franchise or into a property that monolithic unless there’s something new you can bring. I chased The Exorcist very aggressively because I was convinced I had something that I could add. This is an opportunity to do something that I believe has never been done within the franchise — something that honors what came before it but isn’t built on nostalgia. I really just saw an opportunity to make the scariest movie I’ve ever made. I know expectations are high. No one’s more intimidated than I am.”
As it stands, Universal has the currently untitled Exorcist movie set for release in March 2026. That should give Flanagan plenty of time to get the script in shape before he has to find his cast and execute this plan. While there are no plot details available at this time, it’s interesting that it sounds like Flanagan was the one who chased down the project, not necessarily Blumhouse and/or Universal chasing him down. He must truly feel like he’s got a story to tell in this universe. Given Flanagan’s ridiculously great track record, that’s pretty compelling.
Meanwhile, Flangan remains an impossibly busy man. He’s got his new Directors Commentary podcast, his new movie The Life of Chuck is getting ready to make the festival rounds and he’s continuing to develop his series adaptation of Stephen King’s The Dark Tower, which is indeed still happening even with his commitments to The Exorcist. Does he make time for sleep in that busy schedule? We can only hope.
Look for the new Exorcist movie in theaters on March 13, 2026. For more, check out our list of 10 interesting demonic possession movies.
