The Perfect Person to Fix *The Exorcist* is Mike Flanagan.
For their forthcoming Exorcist pictures, Blumhouse teaming with Flanagan may be fantastic news. The director already shown his capacity to revitalize one of their horror properties when he took on a prequel to Blumhouse's lackluster horror blockbuster Ouija, a picture with a big Rotten Tomatoes splat but yet earned $103.6 million on a limited budget of approximately $5 million. He turned the follow-up into a critical victory far above the success of the original.
Though critics rated *Origin of Evil* a Certified Fresh, audiences were less passionate about the topic than critics; yet, Flanagan's handling of the issue produced more than twice the user rating of the original film. Since then, the director has embraced more beloved source material for his successful horror projects, winning over audiences with unexpected hits like the *Shining* sequel *Doctor Sleep* and the Netflix miniseries *The Haunting of Hill House,* which adapted the Shirley Jackson novel that was transformed into the 1963 Robert Wise classic *The Haunting*.
Mike Flanagan Verified To Direct "Radical New" Exorcist Movie Not Believer Sequel
Mike Flanagan, a horror connoisseur writer-director, will oversee a fresh *Exorcist* film not a follow-up to last year's *Believe*. Respected heritage sequel and reboot meant to start a new series in line with his *Halloween* legacy trilogy, resurrected the venerable franchise late in 2023. But bad reviews and a disappointing box office total shelved those ideas; the sequel *The Exorcist: Deceiver* was shelved following major creative modifications.
Flanagan will oversee what is being billed to as a "radical new take" on the *Exorcist* series, according the Hollywood Reporter today. Though the specifics of what it means are not public yet, it will not be *The Exorcist: Deceiver*. Returning to Blumhouse, where he created several of his early horror films including *Hush* (2016) and *Oculus* (2013), Flanagan will be directing this latest iteration of the franchise.
Other Mike Flanagan Netflix scares that succeeded despite renowned original material are The Haunting of Bly Manor (adapting Henry James' *The Turn of the Screw*) and The Fall of the House of Usher (loosely adapting the Poe story).
Flanagan could be the perfect director to handle *The Exorcist* given his proven track record of deft handling of vintage horror films. Whether moviegoers will respond to the new movie in the same manner as some of his past critically praised projects remains to be seen, but the fact that his name is connected could readily assist to allay any unfavorable emotions spurred by *Believe*.
Source: THR
