‘Ice Age’ star joins Scarlett Johansson in Mike Flanagan’s new ‘Exorcist’ movie
'The Exorcist' cast continues to get stacked. After Chiwetel Ejiofor was roped in last month to join Scarlett Johansson, 'Encanto' star John Leguizamo joins the immensely talented cast. The original film was based on William Peter Blatty's horror novel and was directed by William Friedkin. The spine-chilling film follows a young girl possessed by a demonic entity while the priests desperately try to save her. It was a commercial and critical success, nominated for 10 Academy Awards. The next slate of films focused on the other major characters, including the priests and other paranormal cases.
The project adds to Leguizamo's meteoric rise. He is currently voicing Anthony Snootley in 'Zootopia 2' — which has become a billion-dollar hit. He stars in Apple TV's 'Smoke' by Dennis Lehane, and also hosts his travel show, 'Leguizamo Does America', currently in Season 2 on MSNBC. Leguizamo's career is set to receive another major boost as he stars in Christopher Nolan’s behemoth, 'The Odyssey', slated for release July 17. At the time of writing, the star-studded cast of 'The Exorcist' also includes Jacobi Jupe, Laurence Fishburne, and Diane Lane.
There is no word on the official plotline. According to reports, Johansson plays a mother with Jupe as her son. Leguizamo is likely to play an antagonist. Latest developments suggest the movie is not a remake or sequel, but set in the same universe as the original film. Mike Flanagan serves as the director and one of the producers alongside David Robinson and Jason Blum. Ryan Turek and Alexandra Magistro serve as executive producers. Flanagan spoke of his plans for the film in his previous interview with The Hollywood Reporter: "We aren’t making this easy on ourselves. But I’ve always felt that there’s no point in going into a franchise or into a property that monolithic unless there’s something new you can bring. I really just saw an opportunity to make the scariest movie I’ve ever made. I know expectations are high. No one’s more intimidated than I am."
The first film was well received by audiences, with some critics praising its horror elements. "This is the scariest film I've seen in years—the only scary film I've seen in years," said The New Republic. This was seconded by Roger Ebert. "The Friedkin film is an exploitation of the most fearsome resources of the cinema. The Exorcist is one of the best movies of its type ever made; it not only transcends the genre of terror, horror, and the supernatural, but it transcends such serious, ambitious efforts in the same direction as Roman Polanski’s Rosemary’s Baby."
Universal reportedly pursued the film's rights aggressively, shelling out an estimated $400 million to secure the franchise. The 2019 film 'The Exorcist: Believer' was a runaway hit with audiences. Now, expectations are high for the new film with its marquee cast. With a new plotline, it remains to be seen if 'The Exorcist' marks any connections to the original or the 'Believer'.
