One of the special aspects of Mike Flanagan projects is his tendency to constantly work with the same group of actors. From Hush to The Fall Of The House Of Usher to The Life Of Chuck, the writer/director has developed a kind of troupe of performers who go with him from production to production. It's been a wonderful thing to see this special collaboration grow over the last decade – but in the case of Flanagan's upcoming Exorcist movie, it appears that he is making a big swinging for star power: the cast already includes Scarlett Johansson and Hamnet standout Jacobi Jupe, and we have the news today that the great Diane Lane has signed on as well.
The collection of Blumhouse-Atomic Monster, Morgan Creek, and Universal Pictures have made this new casting official via press release. The only downside is that the announcement continues the trend of secrecy surrounding the project, as there is no information made available regarding the role the Man of Steel actress will be playing or what the movie is about (we still don't even have a title yet).
Plot-wise, the only thing that has been confirmed about the film is that it is not going to be a direct sequel to David Gordon Green's The Exorcist: Believer. That feature was originally planned as the start of a trilogy, but that idea died when the movie was roasted by critics and bombed in theaters (a particularly tough development given that Universal Pictures had paid $400 million in acquiring the franchise rights, per The New York Times). The Mike Flanagan-developed project is a pivot that hopes to change the perception of the massive investment.
In the last few years, Diane Lane's presence has principally been on the small screen, as she has had roles in shows/miniseries including Y: The Last Man, Extrapolations, Feud and A Man In Full, but last year she starred alongside Kyle Chandler, Madeline Brewer, McKenna Grace, Dylan O'Brien and Zoey Deutch in the dark comedy Anniversary. In addition to the untitled Exorcist film, she is also part of the cast of Brad Anderson's upcoming Moral Capacity with Dacre Montgomery, Sofia Boutella and Tim Robbins.
We'll hopefully start to get more information about the latest Exorcist film as it continues to build out its cast and we get closer to the start of production – which is soon slated to begin in New York City. The movie is currently set to be released in theaters on March 12, 2027 (why it's not aiming for spooky season isn't entirely clear), but for those of you who need a Mike Flanagan fix sooner than that, I'll happily remind you that the filmmaker's limited series adaptation of Stephen King's Carrie for Prime Video is on pace to be released later this year.
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