Believer’s Trilogy Future Gets Cautious Update From Director – Armessa Movie News

Despite a sequel already confirmed in the works, co-writer/director David Gordon Green offers a cautious update on his future in The Exorcist: Believer trilogy. Green, fresh off the Halloween sequel trilogy, is reuniting with Blumhouse for the direct sequel to William Friedkin’s horror classic, once again developing with his creative partner Danny McBride and Halloween Kills co-writer Scott Teems. Featuring the return of Ellen Burstyn as Chris MacNeil, the movie will see the legacy character enlisted to help save the daughters of two families when they become jointly possessed by a powerful demonic force.

In anticipation of the movie’s release, Collider spoke with Green to break down The Exorcist: Believer. When asked for an update on the trilogy plans for his legacy sequel, the co-writer/director offered a cautious response to whether he would direct the next two movies, confirming that while he has “built a road map” for how the follow-ups will play out, he wants to allow himself room to deviate from his plan, including potentially handing the reins to someone else. See what Green explained below:

We’ll see, we’ll see. The idea is we built a road map that I think has so many different avenues that we could take. The world of exorcism and possession is so vast. The world of spirituality is so curious to me that there are so many questions that I have. As the movie finds itself existing in the world over the next few weeks, I think a lot of those questions will be answered. [I have a] road map [for the next two movies]. I wanna make sure I’m not so meticulously locked into a structure or a concept that I can’t deviate [and give myself some wiggle room to take] an opportunity or an improvisation or a detour that feels appealing. So many things that I love about making movies are those opportunities that arise in frustration, or it’s raining, and you were looking for the sunshine, and then what you find is so amazing. Those adventures can be so creative for me. So I think it’s having a good plan and a good team and then being able to roll with the punches and have some fun.

Should Green Pass The Exorcist Sequels To Another Director?

Green’s indication he may pass the reins off for the next two Exorcist sequels to another director may not come as too much of a surprise, given the co-writer/director previously revealed he nearly quit the horror genre entirely before signing on to helm Believer. The quick nature of landing the rights to the franchise and having “the perfect idea” for how to carry it forward into the modern generation were ultimately what convinced him to stick with the genre, while also explaining he would approach it more from a “very academically” dramatic perspective than an outright horror effort.

That being said, his feeling of wanting to keep both his and the trilogy’s options open does beg the question whether he should hand the follow-ups off to another director. Unlike the recent Star Wars sequel trilogy, in which Rian Johnson has frequently indicated having no roadmap to work off for The Last Jedi, Green having a full plan in place for The Exorcist sequels would allow another filmmaker to more effectively slot themselves in without disrupting anything set up in Believer.

Related: Exorcist: Believer Sets An Actress Return Record, Beats Star Wars By 18 Years

The biggest factor in Green’s potential return for the rest of The Exorcist: Believer‘s trilogy would be the quicker timeline Blumhouse and Universal Pictures are aiming for in putting the remaining sequels out. The first follow-up, Deceiver, has already been scheduled for an April 18, 2025 release date, just far enough away for Green and the studios to look for another filmmaker. However, it’s still soon enough that one would need to be found before the year’s end if to ensure a smooth production cycle and leave the door open for any necessary additional photography to fit any changes Green makes to his trilogy plans.

Source: Collider