David Gordon Green is no longer onboard to direct The Exorcist: Deceiver, with the sequel to last year’s The Exorcist: Believer being removed from Universal’s release calendar as a result.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Green is departing the reboot franchise in order to focus on his production of Nutcrackers starring Ben Stiller, as well as season four of HBO’s The Righteous Gemstones.
The Exorcist: Deceiver was originally due to hit theaters on April 18, 2025, and as of now does not yet have a new release date, or – more pressingly – a new director. Universal and Blumhouse are reportedly on the hunt for someone to take on what was intended to be the second of three new movies in The Exorcist universe.
Released in October last year, The Exorcist: Believer starred Leslie Odom Jr., Lidya Jewett, Olivia O‘Neill and Ellen Burstyn (reprising her role as Chris MacNeil from the 1973 original), and focused on the demonic possession of two young girls. The movie was met with both a muted box office and audience reception, and given that the battle for distribution rights cost Universal a jaw-dropping $400 million, it’s imperative that the next two sequels make back the cash.
What Green’s departure from the reboot franchise means for its future remains to be seen, but we’ll bring you all the updates as and when they roll in. Stay tuned.
