Scarlett Johansson is officially heading into full-on horror mode, and honestly… it’s about time.
The two-time Oscar nominee is set to star in a brand-new Exorcist movie, but this isn’t just another spin of the demonic-possession wheel. This fresh take comes from writer-director Mike Flanagan – yes, the guy who somehow turned Ouija 2 into an actually scary movie – so the franchise may finally be in the right hands.
What do we know so far?
Flanagan is writing, directing, and producing through his Red Room Pictures banner, with producing heavyweights Jason Blum, Ryan Turek, and David Robinson also on board.
Flanagan couldn’t be happier about the casting, calling Johansson a “brilliant actress” with performances that always feel “grounded and real.”
The move also signals that Blumhouse-Atomic Monster, Morgan Creek, and Universal are going big after 2023’s The Exorcist: Believer didn’t quite… well, believe enough at the box office. With only $65.5M domestic and $136.2M worldwide – on a franchise bought for a whopping $400M – it was clear the series needed a major jolt. Enter Johansson, whose summer blockbuster Jurassic World: Rebirth just casually earned nearly $869 million worldwide.
Is the film a sequel?
This new film isn’t a sequel to Believer or the original Exorcist film, nor is it a remake. It's reportedly set to be an entirely new storyline, but set in the same Exorcist universe as the first two.
Is this Johansson's first horror film?
Fun fact: despite her massive career – Marvel domination, indie gems, prestige dramas – Johansson has never starred in a straight-up horror movie. So, this marks her first real plunge into the genre, unless you count how terrifyingly good she was in Under the Skin.
She’s also coming off her directorial debut, Eleanor the Great, which premiered at Cannes Film Festival earlier this year, and she’ll soon appear opposite Miles Teller and Adam Driver in James Gray’s Paper Tiger. Add in her Tony Award, her BAFTA win, and those two Oscar nominations in the same year, and it’s safe to say Johansson doesn’t exactly miss.
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