While his latest film, The Life of Chuck, is a feel-good tearjerker, Mike Flanagan has some not-so-great news for horror fans — particularly for the fans eagerly awaiting his reboot of The Exorcist. During a Q&A session on Tumblr, Flanagan revealed that there is “no way” the film he’s set to write, direct, and produce for Universal will make it out on March 13, 2026. He cited his Carrie remake for Prime Video as his top priority at the moment. However, fans of The Exorcist franchise needn’t despair completely just yet. Flanagan was quick to assure folks that the project is still in development and happening, but will likely be delayed.
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No cast has been announced yet for Flanagan’s take on the famed 1971 novel by William Peter Blatty. In his post, the filmmaker shared, “Production hasn’t started, we need to finish Carrie first. No way it’s coming out next March. Nothing to worry about, though.” This isn’t the first time during The Life of Chuck press tour that Flanagan has had to assuage fans about other projects on his incredibly packed slate. The filmmaker told ComicBook’s that his adaptation of Stephen King’s The Dark Tower series is coming along too, albeit slowly.
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Flanagan’s The Exorcist Won’t Be a Sequel to Previous Films
Flanagan’s Exorcist movie marks the sixth entry into the franchise, which began in 1973 with William Friedkin’s lauded The Exorcist, starring Ellen Burstyn and Linda Blair. After a poor showing at the box office in 2023 with director David Gordon Green’s film The Exorcist: Believer, Universal announced that Flanagan would be taking over the reins in 2024.
When speaking with The Hollywood Reporter in 2024, Flanagan confessed that he ardently wanted a crack at the seminal horror franchise.
“I chased The Exorcist very aggressively because I was convinced I had something that I could add,” he said. “This is an opportunity to do something that I believe has never been done within the franchise — something that honors what came before it but isn’t built on nostalgia.”
A major studio betting on a filmmaker who doesn’t want to capitalize on the nostalgia of a beloved IP is nearly unheard of these days. Universal trusting Flanagan with one of their most acclaimed and profitable titles is no small move, and it’s one Flanagan himself is acutely aware of.
“I really just saw an opportunity to make the scariest movie I’ve ever made. I know expectations are high,” He confessed. “No one’s more intimidated than I am.”
Even so, Flanagan’s recent hot streak on both the big and small screen means that fans are willing to wait for his Exorcist. His latest film, The Life of Chuck, a departure for the filmmaker who made his name in horror, won the coveted People’s Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival. Flanagan’s Netflix series The Haunting of Hill House, Midnight Mass, and The Fall of the House of Usher have become phenomena. Though Flanagan’s success is wholly warranted, it means his fans will have to practice patience while he juggles all the projects on his exceedingly full plate.
The Life of Chuck opens in select theaters on June 6th, and then everywhere on June 13th.
