Scarlett Johansson’s The Exorcist Locks In Filming Window — Here’s When It Starts
Cameras are set to roll soon on Scarlett Johansson’s The Exorcist, a cast member confirms, lining up with director Mike Flanagan’s timeline and signaling the horror revival is full steam ahead.
Scarlett Johansson is about to step into the world of The Exorcist, and it sounds like cameras are finally (and imminently) rolling. One of her co-stars just narrowed the timeline to basically right now, which lines up with director Mike Flanagan’s long game to rebuild this franchise from the ground up.
So when does it actually shoot?
At the SAG-AFTRA Actors' Awards, Jacobi Jupe — who is starring alongside Johansson — said the film starts principal photography 'very, very soon,' adding it could be 'next week.' He has not met Johansson yet, but he’s excited to work with her and admitted he’s seen her Marvel run. Would he want in on the MCU himself? He kept it practical: depends on the role.
The date shuffle, explained
This movie was originally parked on March 13, 2026. That is no longer the plan. It now opens March 12, 2027. Flanagan already warned everyone last June that the 2026 target was unrealistic, saying production wouldn’t begin until he finished his work on Prime Video’s Carrie. He also told fans there was 'nothing to worry about.' Given today’s update, that timeline tracks.
What kind of Exorcist is this?
Universal is calling it a 'radical redo' — a new story that does not connect to any past films, including The Exorcist: Believer. Flanagan hustled hard to land the job because he felt he had a fresh angle. His pitch wasn’t nostalgia bait; it was aiming straight for the jugular.
'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... No one’s more intimidated than I am.'
Who is in it and who is making it
- Cast: Scarlett Johansson, Jacobi Jupe, Laurence Fishburne, Diane Lane, Chiwetel Ejiofor
- Producers: David Robinson, Jason Blum, Mike Flanagan
- Executive producers: Alexandra Magistro, Ryan Turek
- Companies: Blumhouse–Atomic Monster and Morgan Creek Entertainment co-producing with Red Room Pictures
- Distributor/labeling: Universal Pictures, which is billing it as a 'radical redo'
- Production start: 'very, very soon' — potentially next week, per Jupe at the SAG-AFTRA event
- Release date: March 12, 2027 (moved from March 13, 2026)
If Flanagan really delivers the 'scariest movie I’ve ever made' version he’s promising, this could be the jolt The Exorcist name actually needed.