Mike Flanagan to Direct ‘The Exorcist: Deceiver’

Flanagan, who has seen big success with the Netflix-based likes of ‘The Haunting of Hill House’, is in talks to follow up ‘The Exorcist: Believer’.

Executive Producer/Director Mike Flanagan, Executive Producer/Director Michael Fimognari in 'The Fall of the House of Usher.'

Preview:

Mike Flanagan is in talks to make ‘The Exorcist: Deceiver’.
David Gordon Green kicked off the new trilogy with ‘The Exorcist: Believer’.
Universal is hoping for a fresh creative voice after ‘Believer’ underperformed.

It was seemingly going so well for Universal and Blumhouse on their collaboration for revivals of classic horror properties. Off the back of a mostly successful three-film run via ‘Halloween’, the studio dived into another, splashing $400 million for the rights to ‘The Exorcist’ with the plan for ‘Halloween’ trilogy filmmaker David Gordon Green to crank out three more movies, and wait for the cash to come rolling in.

Except… It hasn’t quite worked out that way. Green was certainly enthusiastic about his next stab at a big horror property, but then ‘The Exorcist: Believer’, which featured a new story of possession, but also boasted connective tissue via the 1973 movie’s star Ellen Burstyn reprising her role of Chris MacNeil, stumbled.

That movie received fairly scathing reviews, was largely snubbed by audiences, and took in just $136 million worldwide. The potential trilogy’s forward movement grinding to a halt, Green announced he was going off to work on other movies (and the fourth season of HBO series ‘The Righteous Gemstones’), and Blumhouse/Universal found themselves hanging the “Director Wanted” sign.

Now, according to reporter Jeff Sneider, the companies have their answer. Mike Flanagan, known for movies such as ‘Oculus’ and ‘Doctor Sleep’ and creator of giant Netflix horror hits including ‘The Haunting of Hill House’, ‘Midnight Mass’ and last year’s ‘The Fall of the House of Usher’ is in talks to take on at least the next movie, and possibly two (though no one is confirming the two-movie plan just yet.

What was the story of ‘The Exorcist: Believer’?

(from left) Chris MacNeil (Ellen Burstyn) and Victor Fielding (Leslie Odom, Jr.) in 'The Exorcist: Believer,' directed by David Gordon Green.

‘The Exorcist: Believer’ followed what happened when two girls disappear into the woods and return three days later with no memory of what happened to them. The father of one girl seeks out Burstyn’s Chris MacNeil, who has been forever altered by what happened to her daughter fifty years ago.

What could happen in ‘The Exorcist: Deceiver’

Jennifer Nettles in 'The Exorcist: Believer'. Photo: Universal Pictures.

Given that (spoiler alert for ‘Believer’!) the first movie ended with one of the girls dragged to Hell by a demon when the father of the other made a tragic choice, there’s plenty of scope for her parents to go to terrible lengths to try and get her back.

Green had said he’d mapped out an idea for the movies going forward, but with Flanagan now likely to make the next one (and reportedly being given creative freedom), there could well be a pivot into more of an anthology idea. But we’ll have to wait and see.

When will ‘The Exorcist: Deceiver’ be in theaters?

While the movie, back when Green was still aboard, was dated for April 18th, 2025, the change in filmmaker has led to a delay. Universal has yet to confirm a new date, obviously waiting to see whether Flanagan takes the job.