David Gordon Green is currently working on a trilogy that sees itself as a direct sequel to the classic “The Exorcist”. It has now been announced that the leading actress of the time, Linda Blair, will also be returning for it!
With “Halloween”, “Halloween Kills” and “Halloween Ends” David Gordon Green was able to provide not only a ringing box office but also fear and terror in the cinema. Since the concept of attaching a whole new trilogy to a horror classic (ignoring the previous sequels) has proven successful, the production studio and Green are now proceeding in the same way. As has been known for some time, Green is currently working on a three-part sequel to William Friedkin’s masterpiece “The Exorcist”.
The first of the three new “The Exorcist” films is currently being shot. While Ellen Burstyn (“Requiem For A Dream”) will once again appear in the film as Regan MacNeil’s mother, it has now also been confirmed that Regan actress Linda Blair is also in the new “Exorcist”. So that means two returnees from the original are on board. Above The Line exclusively reports that Linda Blair was only on set for a few days though, which suggests she probably won’t have too much screentime.
CINEMA COMEBACK FOR LINDA BLAIR
Horror fans will of course still react with anticipation to the appearance of Linda Blair, because her disturbing performance in “The Exorcist” enabled the then 12-year-old to become an absolute genre icon overnight. Linda Blair then starred once again in “The Exorcist II – The Heretic”, but the film not only failed commercially, but is also considered a flop artistically (and will thus probably be ignored in the new film). In addition, Linda Blair was still active in some series (e.g. “MacGyver” or “Supernatural”). The last time the actress appeared in a major motion picture was in 1996 in “Scream”, where she had a small cameo as a pushy reporter.
In addition to Linda Blair and Ellen Burstyn, the cast of the “Exorcist” sequel also includes Leslie Odom Jr, Ann Dowd, Lidya Jewett, Jennifer Nettles, Olivia Marcus, Raphael Sbarge and Okwui Okpokwasili. David Gordon Green, meanwhile, not only sits in the director’s chair, but also wrote the screenplay with Peter Sattler. The story itself – as with “Halloween” – was written by Green, Danny McBride and Scott Teems. Filming was completed this month and the first part of the “Exorcist” sequel trilogy is scheduled to open in cinemas here on 12 October 2023.
