The trailer for the latest take on the demon extraction genre dropped on Thursday with a first look at The Exorcism, which stars Oscar winner Russell Crowe as an actor who begins to unravel while filming a supernatural horror film.
The Exorcism, from director Joshua John Miller, will see an exclusive theatrical release beginning on June 21.
In this go-around in the genre that has captivated audiences since 1973’s The Exorcist, Crowe is joined by Ryan Simpkins as his character’s estranged daughter, who begins to suspect her father’s troubles are more sinister than a relapse into former addiction issues.
Per the logline, Crowe stars as Anthony Miller, a “troubled actor who begins to unravel while shooting a supernatural horror film.”
The cast is rounded out with several notable supporting actors, including Sam Worthington (Avatar: The Way of Water), Chloe Bailey (Praise This), Adam Goldberg (The Equalizer) and David Hyde Pierce (Frasier).
Miller teamed up with co-writer M.A. Fortin on The Exorcism, their second film together. The two shared a writing credit on the upcoming project and the hit series Queen of The South; the duo also wrote and produced The Final Girls. Miller began his decades-long career in Hollywood with a role in Kathryn Bigelow’s vampire genre favorite, Near Dark.
Miller said the film idea stemmed from his childhood spent watching his father, Jason Miller, playing the doomed Father Karras flinging himself out a window at the climax of The Exorcist.
“If that wasn’t haunting enough on its own, my dad never shied away from telling me stories of just how ‘cursed’ the movie was: the mysterious fires that plagued the production, the strange deaths, the lifelong injuries — the list went on and on. The lore of any ‘cursed film’ has captivated me ever since,” he said in a statement.
“With The Exorcism, we wanted to update the possession movie formula (‘Heroic man rescues woman from forces she’s too weak and simple to battle herself!’) for a world where no one group owns goodness and decency over another,” he continued. “We were gifted with an extraordinary cast and creative team to tell a story about how we’re all vulnerable to darkness, to perpetuating it, if we fail to face our demons.”
North American rights to the horror film, formerly known as The Georgetown Project, have been acquired by independent distributor Vertical. It was produced by Miramax, Kevin Williamson and Outerbanks Entertainment.
