Scarlett Johansson Joins Mike Flanagan’s The Exorcist Reboot, Launching a Bold New Chapter
Scarlett Johansson will headline Mike Flanagan’s radical reboot of The Exorcist, marking her first true plunge into horror, setting aside 2013’s Under the Skin, after Blumhouse and Morgan Creek weighed other A-listers.
Mike Flanagan is taking a swing at The Exorcist, and he just landed Scarlett Johansson to lead it. That is a curveball in a good way. It is basically her first straight-up horror role if you do not count 2013's Under the Skin, and the movie itself is being pitched as a radical take on the franchise. After the last attempt fizzled, this is the kind of reset the IP actually needs.
Deadline says Johansson is attached, with Blumhouse and Morgan Creek having circled other big names before zeroing in on her. One behind-the-scenes wrinkle: the casting reportedly came together after the success of Jurassic World Rebirth. Johansson has a stacked schedule, but this Exorcist reimagining is expected to be her next major shoot.
"Scarlett is a brilliant actress whose captivating performances always feel grounded and real, from genre films to summer blockbusters, and I couldn't be happier to have her join this Exorcist film."
- Mike Flanagan
Quick refresher on where this franchise stands: Blumhouse and Universal tried to reboot it with The Exorcist: Believer, which did not make a splash. That was supposed to kick off a trilogy, but after the reception, the plan changed. Flanagan's movie is not continuing Believer, and it is not a straight remake of the 1973 classic either. He is writing and directing an all-new story set inside The Exorcist universe.
What we know right now
- Scarlett Johansson will star in Mike Flanagan's Exorcist movie, which is described as a radical new take.
- This is Johansson's first true horror lead if you set aside 2013's Under the Skin.
- Blumhouse and Morgan Creek looked at other A-listers, then moved on Johansson after Jurassic World Rebirth's success.
- Despite her busy slate, this will likely be her next major shoot.
- Flanagan is writing and directing an original story in The Exorcist universe.
- It is not a continuation of The Exorcist: Believer and not a retelling of the 1973 film.
- The previous reboot push underperformed, but Flanagan's track record makes this one worth watching.
- No release window has been announced.
Big picture: The Exorcist has struggled for decades, outside of the third film, and the shadow of the original is massive. If anyone can thread the needle between reverence and reinvention, it is probably Flanagan. Now it is on him and Johansson to make the devil feel dangerous again.