Mike Flanagan has confirmed what many fans were already starting to suspect – his reboot of The Exorcist won’t be making its March 13, 2026 release date.
The director took to Tumblr to set the record straight, citing scheduling conflicts due to his ongoing work on Carrie, the upcoming TV adaptation of Stephen King’s classic novel.
“Production hasn’t started, we need to finish Carrie first,” Flanagan wrote. “No way it’s coming out next March. Nothing to worry about though.”
Universal Pictures had already removed the title from its release calendar on June 4, 2025, swapping it out with an unnamed Blumhouse film. Flanagan’s version of The Exorcist is intended to be a completely new story set within the franchise’s universe – not a follow-up to 2023’s The Exorcist: Believer, which bombed critically and didn’t perform well financially, grossing just $136.3 million globally.
Before Flanagan came on board in May 2024, Halloween director David Gordon Green was set to lead a new trilogy for the franchise. But after Believer failed to impress, Green stepped away and the studio brought in Flanagan, who has a strong track record in the genre with Doctor Sleep, The Haunting of Hill House, and Midnight Mass.
Despite the delay of “The Exorcist” reboot, Flanagan is doubling down on his commitment to deliver something genuinely fresh. He’s described the project as a “radical new take” and says he’s aiming to make the “scariest movie” of his career.
“I chased The Exorcist very aggressively because I was convinced I had something I could add,” Flanagan told The Hollywood Reporter. “We aren’t making this easy on ourselves, but I believe there’s something that’s never been done within this franchise – something that honours what came before it but isn’t built on nostalgia.”
Flanagan is writing, producing, and directing the film. No cast has been announced yet, and production hasn’t started, making a 2026 release extremely unlikely. The film is being produced by Blumhouse alongside Trevor Macy and John Scherer, and it will not continue the storyline from the 2023 installment.
At the same time, Flanagan is finishing up his TV adaptation of Carrie for Amazon MGM Studios. Speaking on social media, he teased that both Carrie and The Exorcist would feature “unique takes” that feel “surprisingly timely.”
So while horror fans will have to wait a bit longer for Flanagan’s take on The Exorcist, it’s clear he’s aiming high – and isn’t rushing the process. The delay may disappoint some, but for a filmmaker known for thoughtful, eerie storytelling, taking time could mean a better, scarier payoff in the end.
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