Unveiling the Mind-Bending Twists: Exorcist: Believer Shakes Up the Franchise!

Summary

Producer Ryan Turek confirms that The Exorcist: Believer is a direct sequel to the original movie, retconning previous installments.

Director David Gordon Green's playful references to other movies in the franchise notwithstanding, Turek considers Believer to be a complementary work to William Friedkin's original. Notably, with Ellen Burstyn reprising her role as Chris MacNeil, the forthcoming film has already retconned The Exorcist TV show, implying that other unfavorably received sequels may be disregarded or revised as well.

The Exorcist: Believer, a sequel to the original film, is being produced by Ryan Turek. He reveals that the movie will retcon previous installments and take place 50 years after the original. The story revolves around two families desperately trying to save their possessed daughters, seeking help from Chris MacNeil, played by Ellen Burstyn. Directed by David Gordon Green, known for the recent Halloween trilogy, the star-studded cast includes Leslie Odom Jr., Ann Dowd, Jennifer Nettles, Lidya Jewett, Olivia Marcum, and Norbert Leo Butz. Turek confirms that the film is a direct sequel to William Friedkin's original, although Green has approached it in a playful manner.

The agreement we all had was this is a direct sequel to William Friedkin's original film. However, in a post-Scream 5 world where the concept of requels exists, it can be considered as such since it serves as both a sequel and a rejuvenation of the franchise. Does it have a direct connection to Exorcist II, Exorcist III, or the prequels? Personally, I do not associate Believer with those films in my heart. Nevertheless, if you were to speak with David Gordon Green, he might find The Exorcist II to be a fascinating movie, and you never know if he would consider it connected or not because he enjoys playing with such ideas. But, from my perspective, this film truly stands as a companion piece to William Friedkin's original masterpiece.

The Exorcist: Believer Has Already Retconned One Prior Installment

It is not the first occasion that Green's admiration for The Exorcist II has been recognized by a member of Believer's team. The co-writer/director had previously expressed his fondness for the 1977 sequel while confirming the completion of the script for the new movie. Interestingly, in mid-2021, Green further stated that all previous installments were considered part of "the acceptable mythology" that he incorporated into the development of the legacy sequel. This statement seemingly ensures that the new movie would not entirely disregard or alter the events of its predecessors, contrasting with Green's approach in his Halloween trilogy where he rewrote the entire franchise.

Even if Green manages to reconcile most of the previous installments, the upcoming movie has already retconned The Exorcist TV show that aired for two seasons on Fox. In this show, Season 1 served as an unexpected continuation of the first two movies, featuring Geena Davis as Angela Rance, who was revealed to be an adult Regan MacNeil. Her family was once again being tormented by Pazuzu. The show also recast Linda Blair's character with Sharon Gless from Burn Notice as her mother Chris, who had become distant from her daughter after she went into hiding but returned when her possessed granddaughter disappeared.

Unfortunately, Gless' character met her demise when Regan became re-possessed and broke her mother's neck. With Burstyn reprising her role as Chris in The Exorcist: Believer, it is evident that the TV show is being ignored in Green's timeline, which implies that The Heretic and The Exorcist III may also be disregarded. Similar to how the 2018 Halloween movie received positive feedback for retconning the poorly received sequels, this decision is likely to be met with enthusiasm. Moreover, it helps maintain a cohesive canon for Green's planned trilogy.

Source: Inverse