Leslie Odom Jr. is set to star opposite Ellen Burstyn in a new Exorcist film, the first of a trilogy for Universal. David Gordon Green will direct with Blumhouse producing.

The film will follow Odom’s character, who seeks out Burstyn’s character Chris MacNeil after his child becomes possessed. In the original, Burstyn’s character was a mother seeking help from a priest for her possessed daughter, famously played by Linda Blair.

“There’s no better time to be joining forces with the team at Peacock, reuniting with the great team at Universal and finally getting to work with my friends at Blumhouse, than on this classic franchise,” said Morgan Creek exec David Robinson in a statement, who is producing along with Universal’s Donna Langley, Jimmy Hororwitz, and Blumhouse’s Couper Samuelson. “David Gordon Green, Dany McBride, Scott Teems and Peter Satler have pt together a compelling continuation of this iconic tale and I can’t wait to bring this to fans around the world.”

The first film is set for an Oct. 13, 2023 release. Release dates for the next two films haven’t been set, but Variety reports that the films could debut on NBC’s streaming app Peacock, since Universal is Peacock and NBC’s parent company.

Blumhouse’s founder and CEO Jason Blum said in a statement how “grateful” he is to be working with Morgan Creek Entertainment, David Robinson, as well as other producing partners at Universal on creating the film.

“Blumhouse has always experienced incredible partnership from the team at Universal, and I’m grateful to Donna Langley and Jimmy Horowitz for believing in the vision of David’s film and having the foresight to be flexible with distribution, so the team feels top notch support through the lifeline of the film. They’re committed to theatrical exhibition and will also [be] serving streaming viewers well by bringing an exciting franchise like the Exorcist to Peacock too.”

Ellen Burstyn

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