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What an excellent day for an exorcism. What day are we referencing, exactly? Friday, March 13, 2026. Mark your calendars because that’s the date that Universal Pictures has set for director Mike Flanagan’s new Exorcist movie, per The Hollywood Reporter. It appears that Blumhouse and Universal don’t want to rush the filmmaker to meet an arbitrary release date. Rather, they intend to let him take adequate time to make the movie he wants to make.
Originally, Halloween director David Gordon Green was set to helm The Exorcist: Deceiver, which was going to hit theaters in 2025. That was to be the second installment in a new Exorcist trilogy, which began with last year’s The Exorcist: Believer. Unfortunately, critics and audiences didn’t respond kindly to that film, which led Universal and Blumhouse to take things in a new creative direction. That’s where Flanagan comes into play.
Flangan was officially announced as the director of the new Exorcist film in late May. As the director of movies such as Gerald’s Game and Doctor Sleep, as well as the creative force behind shows like The Haunting of Hill House and Midnight Mass, he’s arguably one of the most respected voices working in horror today. The studio made it clear that this will not be a sequel to Believer, as was originally the plan. Rather, Flanagan is being given the freedom to tell a new story within the franchise.
As it stands, plot details remain firmly under wraps. There’s also no word on potential casting. It’s unclear if anyone from any of the previous films will be brought aboard, or if this will be something totally new, largely divorced from the larger continuity that dates back to director William Friedkin’s 1973 classic that started it all.
“The Exorcist is one of the reasons I became a filmmaker, and it is an honor to have the chance to try something fresh, bold, and terrifying within its universe,” Flanagan said when it was announced that he was directing the film. “Reuniting with my friends at Blumhouse, with whom I’ve made some of my favorite pieces of work, only makes this more exciting.”
Meanwhile, Flanagan remains a busy man. He has The Life of Chuck due to arrive later this year, and his adaptation of Stephen King’s The Dark Tower is still very much in play. His most recent effort was The Fall of the House of Usher, which was based on the works of Allan Poe and released on Netflix last year.
Look for Mike Flanagan’s currently untitled Exorcist movie on March 13, 2026. For more, you can read about the other Shining prequel that Flanagan wanted to make that never quite got off the ground.
