Scarlett Johansson to star in Mike Flanagan and Blumhouse's upcoming 'The Exorcist'

The merged Blumhouse-Atomic Monster is preparing a new installment of The Exorcistfor which he has teamed up with the filmmaker Mike Flanaganas screenwriter, producer and director.

After last June it was announced that the project would suffer a delay in its release scheduled for March 2026 due to Flanagan's multiple commitments – which at that time was about to be released in theaters The Life of Chuck and working on the adaptation of Carrie y The Dark Tower for Prime Video – great news arrives that launch the development of the new The exorcist.

The most recent reports confirm that the two-time Oscar-nominated actress, Scarlett Johansson (Jurassic World Rebirth) has been added as protagonist of Flanagan's projectaccording to Deadline. This will be the first horror film project for the actress versatile filmography.

Flanagan spoke about Johansson's signing saying:

“Scarlett is a brilliant actress whose captivating performances always feel grounded and down-to-earth, from genre films to summer blockbusters, and I couldn't be happier to have her join this Exorcist film.”

The outlet explains that the studio “had been meeting with several top talents. HoweverJohansson seemed like the ideal person after helping relaunch the franchise Jurassic World last summer with Jurassic World: Rebirthwhich grossed nearly $869 million worldwide. After a meeting with the producers and Flanagan, Johansson came on board to lead the relaunch of another iconic franchise.”

The Exorcist Flanagan's has been described as ““a radical new vision” to the horror franchise.

The details of the story are currently under lock and key in some church. What is confirmed is that It is not a sequel to The Exorcist: Believer (2023) by David Gordon Greenwhich had a disappointing performance at the box office, which is why Blumhouse, which had already given the green light to a trilogy that started with Believertook some time to rethink the next step.

With Flanagan the idea of ​​a new film of The exorcistannounced as “a completely new story set in the universe of The Exorcist and not a sequel to The Exorcist: Believers of 2023.”

Flanagan previously said of the project:

“The Exorcist is one of the reasons I became a filmmaker and it's an honor to have the opportunity to try something new, bold and terrifying within its universe. Reuniting with my friends at Blumhouse, with whom I've made some of my favorite work, only makes this more exciting.”

The project will be produced by Blumhouse-Atomic Monster, Morgan Creek Entertainment and Flanagan, with Universal Pictures as in charge of bringing it to theaters around the world.

David Robinson is another of the producers along with Jason Blum. Alexandra Magistro will executive produce for Flanagan's Red Room Pictures, and Ryan Turek for Blumhouse-Atomic Monster.

Flanagan previously stated that his vision for The exorcist It will not be a remake or sequel, but a new story:

“We're not making it easy on ourselves. But I've always felt there's no point in getting into such a monolithic franchise or property unless there's something new you can bring to the table. I pursued The Exorcist very aggressively because I was convinced I had something I could bring to the table.”

“This is an opportunity to do something that I don't think has ever been done within the franchise, something that honors what came before but doesn't rely on nostalgia. I really saw an opportunity to make the scariest movie I've ever made. I know expectations are high. No one is more intimidated than me.”

In addition to the recently released The Life of ChuckFlanagan has made horror films received by critics and audiences such as Oculus (2013), Hush (2016), Ouija: Origin of Evil (2016), Gerald’s Game (2017), y Doctor Sleep (2019).

In addition to Jurassic World: RebirthJohansson celebrated her directorial debut with the feature film Eleanor the Great from Sony Pictures Classics, which had its premiere at the last Cannes Film Festival. We will see it soon in Paper Tiger by James Gray, alongside Miles Teller and Adam Driver, the latter his co-star in Marriage Storywhich earned her an Oscar nomination for best actress the same year she was nominated for an Oscar for best supporting actress for Jojo Rabbit.