Here's some news that will make your head turn...
On Monday, July 26, Universal Pictures and Peacock shared the frightening news that Ellen Burstyn will return to her role as Chris MacNeil in not one, but three new movies based on The Exorcist. The first movie is projected to premiere in theaters on Friday, October 13, 2023.
Burstyn will be joined on the big screen by Academy Award nominee Leslie Odom Jr., who will portray a new character.
Though Burstyn has signed onto the new franchise, her former onscreen daughter, Linda Blair, said she is not involved in the project. She wrote in a statement shared to social media, "To all my fans asking about my involvement in the new Exorcist reboot, as of now there has not been any discussion about me participating or reprising my role."
"I wish all those involved the best," she continued, "and I appreciate the loyalty and passion the fans have for The Exorcist and my character."
In the 1973 horror flick, Blair portrayed Regan MacNeil, a 12-year-old girl who becomes possessed by a demon after playing with a Ouija board she found in the attic.
For her performance as the tormented teen, Blair took home the trophy for Best Supporting Actress at the Golden Globes. Additionally, director William Friedkin won Best Director and The Exorcist was named the Best Motion Picture Drama of 1974.
Fans of the horror genre will be delighted to learn that Blumhouse Productions is taking an active role in the films' development, alongside Universal, Peacock and Morgan Creek. Moreover, Halloween executive producer David Gordon Green will direct the film, with executive producers Jason Blum, Danny McBride and more.
This crew will likely be more prepared for supernatural occurrences, unlike the original cast which frequently experienced unexplainable injuries and happenings throughout filming. In 2019, Blair told E! True Hollywood that she was "challenged by the physicality" of the role, recalling how the exorcism scenes resulted in her experiencing a "fracture [in her] lower back."
And to this day, people are divided over the cause of a fire that nearly demolished the entire film set. According to Blair, the only space that survived the sudden blaze was Regan's bedroom, where the exorcism took place.
"A lot of people want to believe more in the curiosity, the dark side, the possibility, could it have been?" she shared. "Then there were others that were more apt to say, 'No, it was just an electrical short that happened.'"
To hear from the actress herself, check out the video above!
(E! News and Peacock are both members of the NBCUniversal family.)