David Gordon Green abandons the next Exorcist scheduled for 2025

After the failure of the reboot, Universal seems to be backtracking.

David Gordon Green withdraws from the project The Exorcist Deceiver, sequel to the unloved reboot The Exorcist Devotionrevealed Variety. Universal And Blumhouse are looking for a new director who will honor the iconic horror franchise, specifies the American magazine.

Initially scheduled for 2025 in cinemas, the horror film has been deleted from the broadcast scheduleUniversal. Instead, the biopic on Michael Jackson directed by Antoine Fuqua is scheduled for April 18, 2025.

Before taking the reins of the reboot, David Gordon Green wrote and directed the last three films Halloweenwhich grossed nearly $500 million at the worldwide box office.

But if this trilogy had a certain success, this new horror project did not succeed in convincing: the box office figures are not glorious – like the critics. The Exorcist: Devotion grossed $65 million at the domestic box office, plus $70 million in international markets. David Gordon Green had collaborated with Peter Sattler, Scott Teems And Danny McBride for the scenario.

As a reminder, The Exorcist: Devotion takes place 50 years after the masterpiece of William Friedkin, which was the first horror film to be nominated for an Academy Award. Moreover, Ellen Burstynthe iconic helpless mother from 1973, reappeared in the shoes of Chris MacNeil, potential savior of the two possessed young girls.

The departure of David Gordon Green as director is not entirely surprising, as it has been reported that the franchise will undergo creative changes following the poor reception of Devotion. Although the project no longer has a release date, it is not officially canceled by the studio, which is currently looking for a replacement.

David Gordon Green can however console himself with the production of Nutcracker with Ben Stiller and season 4 of the comedy series The Righteous Gemstones.

David Gordon Green reboots The Exorcist: “It’s a curse as much as a blessing” (interview)