Hollywood actress Scarlett Johansson will lead The Exorcist: Martyrs, a new horror film directed by Mike Flanagan. Flanagan and actor Chiwetel Ejiofor unveiled the trailer at New York Comic Con, offering a glimpse of a murder investigation that may involve supernatural forces. Johansson plays a homicide detective who begins to question whether a series of gruesome killings has a connection to demonic possession.
The Exorcist: Martyrs trailer reveals a disturbing mystery
The trailer shows a series of killings inside a church. As the investigation continues, Johansson’s character starts reconsidering the claims of suspects who said they were possessed by Satan. The detective must explore whether the crimes have a supernatural explanation or whether there is another reason behind the disturbing events.
Flanagan has written, directed and produced the film. He has described it as the scariest film of his career and said the team wanted to take the long running horror franchise in a different direction.
How the film differs from The Exorcist: Believer
The Exorcist: Martyrs will not serve as a sequel to The Exorcist: Believer, which was released in 2023. Universal acquired the rights to develop a planned new trilogy in 2021 for USD 400 million.
The project also marks Flanagan’s fourth collaboration with Blumhouse, following Oculus (2013), Hush (2016) and Ouija: Origin of Evil (2016).
The cast includes Chiwetel Ejiofor, John Leguizamo, Laurence Fishburne, Diane Lane and Jacobi Jupe, who is known for his role in Hamnet.
Production details and release update
The film is being produced by Blumhouse Atomic Monster and Morgan Creek Entertainment in association with Flanagan’s Red Room Pictures. Trevor Macy returns as a producer through Intrepid Pictures, while Alexandra Magistro serves as an executive producer for Red Room Pictures. Topher Merrill and John Baden executive produce for Morgan Creek Entertainment.
Macy, Karl Frankenfield, David Robinson and Roy Lee are also producers. Jason Blum serves as a producer, while Ryan Turek is an executive producer for Blumhouse Atomic Monster.
Following production delays, the film’s release has been pushed to 2027.
Revisiting the original The Exorcist
Directed by William Friedkin, the original The Exorcist arrived in theatres in 1973. The story followed a mother, played by Ellen Burstyn, who sought help from Catholic priests to free her 12 year old daughter, played by Linda Blair, from a demon.
The horror film earned USD 441 million worldwide and received 10 Academy Award nominations. The new instalment introduces a different story while returning to the franchise’s central themes of fear, possession and the possibility of supernatural forces.
