Mike Flanagan Offers a Disappointing Update on His EXORCIST Movie
Horror fans hoping to see Mike Flanagan’s take on The Exorcist in theaters next spring, you’re going to have to wait a little longer.
While answering questions on Tumblr, Flanagan confirmed that there's “no way” the film will make its previously scheduled release date of March 13, 2026. The reason why is that he’s currently deep in pre-production on his Carrie series for Prime Video, which is taking priority.
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.”
Flanagan made it clear the movie is still happening. It's just not ready yet.
Universal tapped Flanagan to revive The Exorcist franchise after the lukewarm response to 2023’s The Exorcist: Believer, directed by David Gordon Green. While Flanagan hasn’t announced a cast or start date yet, he’s made no secret of how personally invested he is in the project.
The director previously said: “I chased The Exorcist very aggressively because I was convinced I had something that I could add. 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.”
That might sound like a risky pitch for a legacy franchise, but Flanagan seems hyper-aware of the weight he’s carrying.
“I really just saw an opportunity to make the scariest movie I’ve ever made. I know expectations are high,” he said. “No one’s more intimidated than I am.”
If anyone can pull this off, though, it’s Flanagan. He’s spent the last decade redefining modern horror on both screens. With The Haunting of Hill House, Midnight Mass, and The Fall of the House of Usher under his belt, not to mention his well-received Stephen King adaptations, his fans have learned to be patient.
His latest film, The Life of Chuck, is not really a horror movie, but it won the People’s Choice Award at TIFF, solidifying once again that whatever Flanagan touches is worth watching.