“No way it’s coming out next”: Director Mike Flanagan confirms The Exorcist sequel’s delay

Mike Flanagan's The Exorcist hasn't been delayed, but it seems like it will be after what the filmmaker recently said. A fan was having questions regarding the next film in the long-running franchise, and when he asked if that's going to be released in March 2026 only, Flanagan responded on Tumblr that:

"Production hasn't started, we need to finish CARRIE first. No way it's coming out next March. Nothing to worry about though."

That said, we will get the TV adaptation of Stephen King's Carrie first from the filmmaker instead.

The franchise, which began in 1973, currently has six films in it, with the latest coming in 2023. Commercially speaking, it is the first movie that has earned the most, $430.8 million, which includes the original release, director's cut, and more. The same is true with the film's critical reception, as it currently holds 78% approval on Rotten Tomatoes. The second film holds the lowest score of 10%.

Next film in The Exorcist franchise is a reimagining

The first film is the highest-grossing movie in the franchise. (Image via YouTube/Warner Bros. Entertainment)

The news for the next film being directed by Flanagan came in 2024 and cleared the air that this won't be a sequel or anything but a reimagining. A press release, according to Deadline, reads:

"An all-new story set in The Exorcist universe and is not a sequel to 2023’s The Exorcist: Believer."

The film is an interesting project, as the filmmaker has said that the movie is the reason he became a filmmaker. Flanagan recently tried a different genre with the Tom Hiddleston-led The Life of Chuck, which is exactly opposite of what he usually does, which is giving us horrors. It is beautiful.

Plot details of the film are a mystery, but this project came after a planned trilogy of films in the franchise was scrapped. That was partially because of the latest film's failure. Though it was a commercial success, it wasn't well received by the critics and audiences alike.

This also indicates that Universal, which bought distribution rights for the trilogy in collaboration with Peacock, doesn't want to take a risk on three films. If Flanagan's film, whenever it arrives, does well according to them, we may also see more of them coming in from the director. Though we should note here that six different directors have directed six different films in the The Exorcist franchise.

What has Mike Flanagan worked on before?

Director Mike Flanagan Poses For A Portrait. (Image via Getty)

We have already mentioned The Life of Chuck, the filmmaker's recent project. Before that, he had usually worked on the horror genre, where he made his feature film directorial debut with the independent horror film Absentia (2011), which currently holds an 87% critics' approval on Rotten Tomatoes.

His next film, Oculus (2013), is based on one of his short films. Again, it was a critical success.

In 2016, he would go on to release 3 films in a row: Hush, Ouija: Origin of Evil, and Before I Wake. The last one had a mild reception, but the other two, as usual, had a positive reception.

The following years, 2017 and 2019, got a couple more films, Gerald's Game and Doctor Sleep, the latter of which is a sequel to the cult classic, The Shining.