For the last three years, The Exorcist television series has reportedly been floating around Hollywood looking for a network to possess. And now it’s found one.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Fox has ordered a pilot episode for The Exorcist, based on William Peter Blatty’s 1971 novel. The Exorcist was adapted as a feature film two years later by director William Friedkin and it remains one of the most influential horror movies of all time. The new series is described as “a modern reinvention [and] a propulsive, serialized psychological thriller following two very different men tackling one family’s case of horrifying demonic possession, and confronting the face of true evil.”
The original story of The Exorcist revolved around the possession of a 12-year old girl named Regan MacNeil, and the increasingly desperate attempts to save her. Regan was played by Linda Blair in the first two Exorcist movies, while The Exorcist III followed up on Father Damien Karras (Jason Miller), the man who seemingly died trying to protect Regan in the first film.
Related: ‘The Exorcist’ May Live Again on TV
In 2004 and 2005, an Exorcist prequel based on Max von Sydow’s character, Father Lankester Merrin was turned into two different and contradictory films starring Stellan Skarsgård as Merrin. That was the last time that The Exorcist went before the cameras.
Jeremy Slater (Fantastic Four) is slated to write Fox’s new take on The Exorcist, but there is some question of how far the show will be able to go on a broadcast network. NBC pushed the boundaries of network horror and gore with Hannibal, but basic and premium would probably have had an easier time retaining the spirit of the original Exorcist.
What do you want to see in The Exorcist TV series? Grab your ouija boards and share your thoughts below!
