Horror
Darkness must be hunted.
The Exorcist: Martyrs (2027)
Release date
10/03/2027
Country
United States of America
Production
Red Room Pictures
Morgan Creek Entertainment
Universal Pictures
Blumhouse Atomic
Overview
Thirteen years ago, New York City detective Julie Miller ended the terror reign of satanic serial killer Father Sunday. The case made her a hero, and she has thrown herself into her work ever since. Now a new killer scrawls her name in an altar boy's blood on the walls of a church crypt, dragging her back into the darkness she believed she had buried with him.
Directors & Screenwriters
Mike Flanagan
Director
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Cast
Scarlett Johansson
as
Det. Julie Miller
Sasha Calle
as
Det. Gina Restrepo
Chiwetel Ejiofor
as
Father William
John Leguizamo
as
Father Sunday
Laurence Fishburne
as
Father Nichol
Diane Lane
as
Mary Miller
Jacobi Jupe
as
Max Miller
Scoot McNairy
as
Clay Silver
Rahul Kohli
Gil Bellows
as
Peter Nicks
John Gallagher Jr.
Hamish Linklater
Carl Lumbly
Kate Siegel
Robert Longstreet
Matt Biedel
Samantha Sloyan
Benjamin Pajak
Carla Gugino
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All trailers
Horror
The Exorcist: Martyrs
Official Trailer
Video: YouTube
Duration: 02:24
Duration: 02:24
Did You Know?
Mike Flanagan turns The Exorcist into a gritty NYPD murder mystery
The first teaser for The Exorcist: Martyrs, set to hit theaters on March 12, 2027, shows director Mike Flanagan steering the legendary franchise into uncharted territory. Scarlett Johansson headlines as NYPD detective Julie Miller, a role that promises to blend procedural grit with the series’ iconic religious dread.
Flanagan’s new premise abandons the classic family‑possession formula in favor of a dark investigation. After arresting the satanic serial killer known as Father Sunday (John Leguizamo), Julie is pulled back into the case when a fresh wave of murders erupts, each scene marked by her name scrawled in blood. The story hints that whatever drove the original killings may never have been vanquished.
The trailer, unveiled at New York Comic Con, leans heavily into a crime‑thriller aesthetic—shadowy New York streets, grimy church interiors, and brutal crime scenes that echo Se7en and The Silence of the Lambs. Alongside Johansson, veteran actors Chiwetel Ejiofor and Laurence Fishburne appear as priests drawn into the investigation, suggesting a layered clash between earthly evidence and supernatural terror.
Coming after the poorly received Exorcist: Believer (2023), Martyrs offers fans a hopeful reboot. Flanagan’s reputation for weaving religious horror with character‑driven dread—seen in Midnight Mass and The Haunting of Hill House—makes this the most intriguing entry in the series in years, promising a fresh blend of serial‑killer suspense and demonic menace.
Mike Flanagan is ditching the iconic ‘Tubular Bells’ to give The Exorcist a brand‑new nightmare soundscape
Mike Flanagan, the director behind hits like Gerald’s Game, is stepping into the shoes of the Exorcist franchise with The Exorcist: Martyrs, slated for a March 12, 2027 theatrical release. Known for his knack for haunting storytelling, Flanagan says the project is his chance to put a fresh, terrifying spin on one of horror’s most revered series.
In a candid interview with ComicBook, Flanagan revealed he’s deliberately leaving out William Friedkin’s legendary “Tubular Bells.” He explained that the piece has become a sealed relic of the original film, and re‑using it would feel like surrendering the reboot’s unique identity. Instead, he’s opting for an entirely new auditory experience.
Teaming up with his frequent collaborators, the Newton Brothers, Flanagan aims to craft a score that will out‑scare modern audiences, who, he notes, aren’t as easily rattled as viewers were in the 1970s. By stripping away the familiar piano motif, he hopes to make the devil’s presence feel even more unsettling, proving that no higher power will “catch you” when the horror hits.
Fans can expect a blend of demonic possession and religious conflict, all wrapped in Flanagan’s signature atmospheric dread. With his reputation for creative swings and a fresh musical direction, The Exorcist: Martyrs promises to be a chilling new chapter in the saga.
Mike Flanagan’s new Exorcist sequel dives into darkness that even original star Ellen Burstyn says is ‘enough’—but fans can’t wait.
Original Exorcist legend Ellen Burstyn, who returned as Chris MacNeil in 2023’s The Exorcist: Believer, isn’t thrilled about Mike Flanagan’s follow‑up. In a candid Variety interview she warned, “Isn’t there enough already of the Exorcist thing? It’s enough already,” hinting at fatigue even as the franchise expands.
Flanagan, however, promises a film that pushes the horror envelope further than any of his previous sets. Describing The Exorcist: Martyrs as “viciously dark” and “unsafely dark at times,” he admits the story drags the audience through uncharted emotional territory before finding a sliver of light and hope amid the harrowing tale.
The upcoming thriller centers on a single‑mother police officer whose son becomes the target of a demonic force. A stellar supporting cast joins Scarlett Johansson, with Chiwetel Ejiofor and Laurence Fishburne as priests and John Leguizamo stepping into the role of the satanic Father Sunday. The film is slated to hit theaters on March 12, 2027.
Flanagan’s horror momentum doesn’t stop there—he’s also steering the second season of his Stephen King adaptation, Carrie, which continues to explore the iconic story beyond the infamous prom. As the release date looms, fans can already feel the chill of what’s to come.
Ellen Burstyn doubts the Exorcist can rise again—will Mike Flanagan’s ‘Martyrs’ prove the franchise’s salvation?
At 93, Ellen Burstyn—who first terrified audiences as Chris MacNeil in the 1973 classic—questions whether the Exorcist saga has anything left to give. In a candid Variety interview she asked, “Isn’t there enough already of the ‘Exorcist’ thing?” and warned that five decades of sequels may have stretched the brand thin.
The franchise’s recent attempts to modernize have stumbled. After Universal and Blumhouse splashed an estimated $400 million on the rights in 2021, the 2023 follow‑up The Exorcist: Believer flopped both critically and commercially, pulling in just $136 million worldwide and scrapping plans for a Green‑led trilogy.
Enter Mike Flanagan, the horror auteur behind The Haunting of Hill House and a Stephen King adaptation of Carrie. His upcoming The Exorcist: Martyrs, slated for a March 12 2027 release, abandons the Believer storyline entirely. Scarlett Johansson leads as rookie detective Julie Miller, joined by an ensemble that includes Samantha Sloyan, Rahul Kohli, Kate Siegel, Hamish Linklater, Carla Gugino, Robert Longstreet and Laurence Fishburne, with Jason Blum, David Robinson and Flanagan producing.
In a market where low‑budget horror like Obsession and Backrooms still scores big, the film’s fate hinges on Flanagan’s knack for blending psychological dread with emotional depth. Fans and skeptics alike will be watching to see if Martyrs can finally breathe new life into a franchise that’s both iconic and, according to Burstyn, possibly overdue for retirement.
Ellen Burstyn says the Exorcist saga has had enough—can Flanagan’s Martyrs revive the cursed franchise?
Veteran actress Ellen Burstyn, now 93, told Variety she’s doubtful the series can go any further, asking, “Isn’t there enough already of the ‘Exorcist’ thing? It’s enough already.” Her candid remarks come as the franchise prepares to launch its next chapter, The Exorcist: Martyrs, under the direction of horror maestro Mike Flanagan.
The original 1973 film, anchored by Burstyn’s iconic turn as Chris MacNeil, spawned five uneven sequels before a 2023 revival, The Exorcist: Believer, brought her back for a brief cameo. Despite the nostalgic link, Believer was a critical and commercial misfire, earning a dismal $136 million against a $400 million rights purchase and prompting Universal and Blumhouse to scrap David Gordon Green’s planned trilogy.
Flanagan’s fresh take abandons Believer’s storyline altogether, centering on Scarlett Johansson’s rookie detective Julie Miller as she confronts a darkness that threatens her core beliefs. The film assembles a heavyweight ensemble—including Chiwetel Ejiofor, John Leguizamo, Laurence Fishburne and Diane Lane—while retaining Flanagan’s frequent collaborators like Kate Siegel and Carla Gugino.
In a horror market hungry for original voices—think the runaway success of Obsession and the viral‑turned‑cinematic Backrooms—classic franchises such as Halloween and Scream are losing steam. Whether Martyrs can reignite audience appetite for the Exorcist remains uncertain, but Burstyn’s warning suggests even the most storied scares may be nearing their final exorcism.
Scarlett Johansson heads a demon‑infused detective thriller that revives the cult‑classic vibe of Exorcist III
Mike Flanard’s next horror project, slated for a 2027 release, is titled The Exorcist: Martyrs. The film lands a big‑screen debut for Scarlett Johansson as NYPD homicide detective Julie Miller, with an all‑star supporting cast that includes Chiwetel Ejiofor, Diane Lane, Scoot McNairy, Laurence Fishburne and John Leguizamo.
The first trailer makes it clear that Flanagan is steering away from the classic exorcism set‑pieces that defined the original 1973 film and its recent sequel, The Exorcist: Believer. Instead, the new movie leans into a procedural mystery, pairing Miller’s investigation of copycat murders with the unsettling notion that demonic forces may be behind serial killers—a premise that mirrors the tone of The Exorcist III.
Fans will spot several Easter eggs linking Martyrs to the franchise’s third installment. In one shot, Miller’s badge bears the name “Kinderman,” a direct nod to Lieutenant Kinderman, the central detective of Exorcist III (and a minor figure in the original). The trailer also shows Miller citing real‑life killers who claimed demonic possession, echoing the Gemini Killer storyline that haunted Kinderman.
Flanagan, a self‑confessed fan of the novel Legion—the source material for Exorcist III—has called the book “a wonderful novel,” suggesting his adaptation will favor a darker, more investigative angle over repetitive priest‑vs‑demon battles. After the critical disappointment of Believer, this fresh procedural approach may finally satisfy fans craving the cult‑classic feel of Exorcist III while delivering a new, demon‑driven mystery.