'The Exorcist: Believer' Returns To The Classic Horror Film 50 Years Later With New Trailer

Universal Pictures returns to one of the most classic, iconic horror films in cinematic history with "The Exorcist." A new trailer dropped this week for the upcoming sequel, "The Exorcist: Believer." The new film is set 50 years after the 1973 original film, revisiting the world of the picture. The sequel also marks the return of Oscar-winner Ellen Burstyn, who reprises her role in the original as Chris MacNeil.

It appears a demonic horror has emerged, and its haunting two innocent girls in "The Believer," per the new trailer below:

https://youtu.be/PIxpPMyGcpU

The new sequel comes from hitmaker Blumhouse and director David Gordon Green, who recently had success reviving the classic "Halloween" franchise with a new trilogy of films. Much like how Gordon Green's 2018 "Halloween" movie was a direct sequel to the 1978 movie, it looks like "Believer" is following a similar format.

The story follows a single father, Victor Fielding (Leslie Odom Jr.) who has been raising his daughter Angela (Lidya Jewett) on his own since the death of his pregnant wife during a Haitian earthquake that occurred 12 years earlier. One day, Angela and her friend Katherine (Olivia Marcum) disappear into the woods. They reappear three days later with no memory of what happened. What follows is a chain of events forcing Victor to confront an evil force, seeking out the only person still alive who has ever witnessed something like this before: Chris MacNeil (Burstyn).

 50 years earlier, Chris witnessed her own daughter Regan being possessed by a demonic entity named Pazuzu, aka "Captain Howdy." This is Burstyn's first time reprising her famous role in 50 years since the original film directed by William Friedkin.

Rounding out the cast are Ann Dowd as a neighbor of Victor and Angela, and Jennifer Nettles and Norbert Leo Butz as the parents of Angela's friend, Katherine. If Linda Blair, who starred in the classic original film as Regan MacNeil, is appearing in the sequel, it looks like a surprise the production is trying to keep a secret. Thus far, she's not appearing in any cast list or footage for the upcoming film. Only Burstyn is confirmed to be returning as Chris. Hopefully, the sequel will shed some light on what happened with Regan later on.

The original film was a box office smash hit. Based on the best-selling novel by William Peter Blatty, the 1973 film was the first horror film to ever receive an Oscar nomination for Best Picture. The film was nominated for 11 Oscars in total, including Best Picture, Best Actress for Burstyn, Best Actor for Jason Miller, and Best Director for Friedkin. The film earned Blatty an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay as well.

The 1973 film was so popular that it inspired two sequels, "Exorcist II: The Heretic," in 1977 and "The Exorcist III" in 1990. In 2004, Renny Harlin directed a prequel to the original, "Exorcist: The Beginning." That version was retooled from what was later released as "Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist" in 2005.

Gordon Green directs the sequel from a script he co-wrote with Peter Sattler and a story by Scott Teems, Gordon Green, and Danny McBride, who also worked on Green's recent "Halloween" trilogy. Jason Blum is producing the project. This will be the first of a new planned trilogy of "Exorcist" films with the next installment, "The Exorcist: Deceiver" currently due out for a 2025 release.

"The Exorcist: Believer" hits theaters in October, just in time for Halloween.