Posted on 10/10/2026 5:36:57 AM PDT by DFG
Three years after The Exorcist franchise spectacularly fell apart for Universal, the iconic horror property is set to return under writer-director Mike Flanagan with a new film starring Scarlett Johansson.
Below is the first teaser trailer for The Exorcist: Martyrs, which is described as “a radical new vision of the most terrifying title in the history of cinematic horror.” In the film, Johansson stars as NYPD homicide detective Julie Miller, who investigates a murderer called Father Sunday (John Leguizamo), a priest (Chiwetel Ejiofor), and a new slew of killings that threaten Miller’s 12-year-old son (Jacobi Jupe).
Flanagan is the prolific horror writer-director who has tackled several Stephen King tales (Gerald’s Game, Doctor Sleep, Carrie) and delivered several limited series hits for Netflix (Midnight Mass, The Fall of the House of Usher).
The film represents Universal trying to break the franchise’s box office curse.
In 2021, the studio paid a whopping $400 million for the rights to the franchise — which was launched with William Friedkin’s 1973 blockbuster — as part of a deal that included the budgets for a planned trio of feature films. The idea was to try to echo the playbook of David Gordon Green’s hit revival of Halloween. But Green’s 2023 film, The Exorcist: Believer, which returned original star Ellen Burstyn to the franchise, only made $137 million globally amid poor reviews. The announced second film in the trilogy, The Exorcist: Deceiver, was scrapped in 2024.
Then Universal turned to Flanagan to, in effect, reboot the reboot.
The Exorcist: Martyrs will be released in theaters March 12, 2027.
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And for a real Martyr and exorcist research
Father Malachi Martin, an Irish-born American Catholic priest, exorcist, and bestselling author known for his controversial views on the Vatican and demonic possession.
Key details about Father Malachi Martin:
Life: Born in 1921 in County Kerry, Ireland, and died in 1999 in New York City.
Career: He was a Jesuit priest and professor at the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome before being released from his vows in 1964 due to disillusionment with the changes of the Second Vatican Council.
Works: Authored significant books such as Hostage to the Devil (1976) on exorcisms and The Final Conclave (1978) on papal politics.
Controversy: He was known for making bold claims about Satanism within the Church, the Third Secret of Fatima, and the Jesuit order, leading to mixed reception and accusations of misinformation.
Some say his death wasn’t an accident.
He helped many .
A good man , God bless him and reward him mightely.
In the latest Holltwood version, evil will win. You can be sure of it.
John Leguizamo...I’m out. 👎
In a town of leftwing hollywood jackasses that idiot holds his own.
Heres to hoping it craters and leaves a smoking hole in the ground. 💣
The priest will turn out to be the bad guy. The demon(s) will simply be misunderstood.
“THE BED....IS ON....MY FOOT!”
I clicked through and watched the trailer.
This movie has nothing to do with the original.
Labeling it a reboot of the Exorcist is a pure marketing gimmick.
It might still be worthwhile if you are into the supernatural/horror genre, but it is an Exorcist reboot in name only.
If you want to know about REAL exorcists and the stat of spiritual warfare, skip the movie theater.
There are three “popular” exorcists online: Msgr. Rossetti, Fr Chad Ripperger, and Fr. Dan Rehill.
They are ALL very solid when it comes to public speaking, command of the Faith, and the “how” and “why” of demons and possession, oppression, and obsession. These priests are NOT new-age, nonsense-pushing guys.
Msgr. Rossetti is the “kinder and gentler” of the three. He has a lot of videos where he explains situations - like lethargy - that could be demonic and says prayers to help rid the viewers of these beasts. He also has a background in psychiatry so he tackles this from all angles. He speaks Latin often in his prayers.
Fr. Rehill is the “one of us” of the three. He worked on Wall Street, and was married. Thus he comes from a base of having been in many situations in which we all find ourselves. His “empirical” talks, of having been there, are worth the 20 min+ his videos run.
Fr. Ripperger is the most orthodox, dogmatic, educated, and super smart of the three. He also carries a gun. He recently “hit it big” by going on Tucker. You likely have to watch his videos 2 or 3 times to “get it” but it’s worth the investment.
All three carry the same message: demons are real, they hate us, and attack every part of our life where they’re permitted. But God is in control, always. Demons can’t do anything without God’s permission. When He lets possession, oppression, obsession, or any related demonic attack to occurs it’s for our betterment, our sanctification, and to make us holy. That is, to remove the demonic one must pray, alter their life, rid themselves of vice and sin, and become a better Christian. This is a VERY brief synopsis and I’d encourage you to check out their books and videos. It takes a while to soak it all in.
Again, these priests deal with the diabolic all the time. It’s their job. Follow the links to find out more about each priest:
Fr Rehill: https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4384250/posts
Fr Ripperger: https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/4371594/posts
Msgr Rossetti: https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/4388394/posts
I recall listening to Father Malachi many times on the radio show Coast to Coast, when hosted by the irreplaceable
Art Bell. Excellent radio drama. He kept reminding us of how much the Vatican was being influenced by the gay lobby, especially the Jesuits. This was back during GWB first term.
Who knows what it’s like now. The late Pope Francis was a strong indicator that the One World, hedonism was still being promoted.
Mark.
Thank you FRiend.
I watch/listen to all of them regularly. You also left out Fr. Carlos Martins.
I think I must be the only one who does not find her remotely attractive.
She is binary at best. (Binary meaning would/would not)
anytime you see the phrase “a radical new vision” when describing a remake of popular older film, you pretty much know you run away screaming as fast as you can from the nearest theater ... it’s difficult to think of many remake better than the original ... off hand, i think “Ocean’s Eleven”, “The Fly”, “True Grit”, and the second version of “Cape Fear” were at least as good as the first ... and all four simply updated the older films into modern times ...
And, all men who fight evil will be shown to be inept; while strong independent women will ..... make a deal with evil.
You know, bad actions are on both sides. Can’t blame just evil. Andddd, evil is a social construct.
It's a work and in a class entirely its own. It's as standalone a motion picture as there has ever been.
The notion of a sequel to it should have never been conceived, much less an entire franchise. The people who did it and are still doing it don't seem to have a true understanding of the original film at all.
Sounds awesome! Another movie I won’t bother with. Ever.
Will give this a big miss. John Legiozamo said I shouldn’t patronize his films if I disagree with him politically. I will oblige
Plus he’s a no talent hack. And Johansson as a homicide detective!?! Yeah right.
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