‘The Pope’s Exorcist’: Russell Crowe To Play The Vatican’s Top Exorcist In New Film From ‘Overlord’ Director

From the Greek god Zeus in Marvel’s Thor: Love & Thunder, to playing the top exorcist for the Pope, Russell Crowe is clearly enjoying this phase of his career. THR reports Crowe will star in The Pope’s Exorcist, a film that will be directed by Overlord filmmaker Julius Avery.

While the title may sound like a work of fiction, it’s actually based on the real-life priest Father Gabriele Amorth, the Vatican’s top exorcist. Amorth was responsible for overseeing tens of thousands of “real life” exorcisms over sixty years, working under the charge of the Pope.

Avery is best known for his Nazi horror Overlord, which earned a number of accolades. He most recently directed Sylvester Stallone in the superhero film Samaritan, which opens later this summer.

“It’s been a goal of mine to work with Russell,” said Avery. “To collaborate with him on the amazing ‘Pope’s Exorcist’ is truly a dream come true.”

Filming on The Pope’s Exorcist begins this September.

Travis Hopson has been reviewing movies before he even knew there was such a thing. Having grown up on a combination of bad '80s movies, pro wrestling, comic books, and hip-hop, Travis is uniquely positioned to geek out on just about everything under the sun. A vampire who walks during the day and refuses to sleep, Travis is the co-creator and lead writer for Punch Drunk Critics. He is also a contributor to Good Morning Washington, WBAL Morning News, and WETA Around Town. In the five minutes a day he's not working, Travis is also a voice actor, podcaster, and Twitch gamer. Travis is a voting member of the Critics Choice Association (CCA), Washington DC Area Film Critics Association (WAFCA), and Late Night programmer for the Lakefront Film Festival.