Well, given the lack of success of The Exorcist: Believer, and the quick-to-follow reports that David Gordon Green might not direct any future sequels, this news should surprise nobody. Universal and Blumhouse are in need for a new director as Green has officially exited the franchise, a rebooted legacy sequel to the classic 1973 horror.
Titled The Exorcist: Deceiver, the film had already been set for an April 18th 2025 release, but it has been yanked off the schedule. Instead, Universal has placed Antoine Fuqua’s Michael Jackson biopic on that date. It seems like a major retooling effort is needed before Exorcist is given a new date.
Exorcist: Believer was a huge flop at the box office, earning just $136M worldwide. That number is especially painful because Universal dropped a hefty $400M to acquire the rights and launch a trilogy, but the plan is off to a rough start and who knows if Exorcist: Deceiver even happens.
While it was previously suggested Green could turn his focus to a Garbage Pail Kids movie, THR says his attention will actually go to season four of The Righteous Gemstones, as well as Nutcrackers, a comedy he’s doing with Ben Stiller.
It’s possible Blumhouse quickly recovers from this and Exorcist moves forward without much delay. If anyone can pull it off, it’s them.
