“One girl lives, one girl dies.” Those eerie words uttered by 12-year-old Katherine (Olivia O’Neill) inThe Exorcist: Believerare haunting. But whether the demon(s) is actuallyLegion and/or Pazuzuremains to be seen. Regardless, anExorcistlegacy hero will return to try and save the day: Chris MacNeil. And director David Gordon Green discussed trying to tempt Ellen Burstyn back to portray the iconic character, even before she’d read the script forThe Exorcist: Believer. Green said in an interview withPeople:
“It was in the early stages of writing and regardless of any ambition of a collaboration, I wanted to introduce myself and say, ‘I’m stepping into a legacy of a franchise that you’re a monumental part of, and I want you to know who I am. And I want you to know I’m here to respect this property and the IP and the character that you created.’
And so, then that was a few phone calls when I introduced the idea of what I would like to do with Chris MacNeil and how I’d like to reintroduce that character. And she’s obviously very skeptical at this point because people have asked her dozens of times to step back into the franchise.”
10 Movies to Watch While You Wait for The Exorcist: Believer
Here are ten films to view before The Exorcist: Believer that showcases the battle between science and superstition and ideas of good and evil.
David Gordon Green Won Over Ellen Burstyn
Ellen Burstyn last appeared as the character of Chris MacNeil 50 years ago in the originalExorcist(1973) film. AndDavid Gordon Greenpulled out all the stops to get the actress to reprise the role because she’s turned down countless opportunities to appear inExorcistsequels over the decades. Burstyn explained what changed her mind this time around in an interview withThe Hollywood Reporter:
“You know, what happened was I’ve turned down many versions of The Exorcist 2. I’ve said no every time. This time they offered me a whole bunch of money and I still said no. And then they surprised me, and they came back and said, ‘We doubled the offer.’ I said, ‘Okay, let me think about this.’
I thought, ‘That’s a lot of money. Let me think about it.’ The next thought that came to mind was: ‘I feel like the devil is asking my price.’ And the next thought that came to mind was, ‘My price is a scholarship program for talented students at our master’s degree program at Pace University. That’s my price.’
So, I then went back and upped their up — and ended up getting what I want. And I’ve got a scholarship program for young actors.”
Linda Blair played Burstyn’s on-screen daughter, Regan, inThe Exorcistback in 1973. And while Blair is said to have onlyserved as a technical advisoron the project, don’t be surprised if the character Regan joins her mother in the film. Yes, Green already admitted to Blair being a “consultant” onBeliever, but Regan’s return could be a surprise the director is hoping to keep secret until the sequel lands in cinemas.The Exorcist: Believeropens in theaters on Friday, October 6.
Whatever happens with this legacy sequel, the original version ofThe Exorcistwill always remain a masterpiece. If you want to learn more about the film and its cultural impact, check out our short video essay onThe Exorcistbelow:
