David Gordon Green revived Halloween with his trilogy that connects to the original, and now he has The Exorcist reboot. In an interview with Collider, he explains how the two will be different from one another. From the sound of it, this will be more serious than the off-the-wall antics of Michael Myers slaying the townspeople of Haddonfield.
The approach to the Halloween trilogy versus The Exorcist reboot will be different. To Green, the former is a “horror movie, it’s a slasher movie, it’s midnight madness, good time at the movies.” The supernatural, possession film will be less “good time at the movies” where you enjoy your soda and popcorn. That will be a “researched drama about fucked-up things — spirituality, religion, mental health, family.”
The Exorcist reboot and the Halloween trilogy will have a different approach
Like what was done with the Halloween revivals with Jamie Lee Curtis reprising her role as Laurie Strode, The Exorcist reboot will see Ellen Burstyn reprise her role as Chris MacNeil, the mother of Regan who becomes possessed by the devil. Like the 2018 film that brought Curtis back to face Michael Myers, we will revisit Chris MacNeil 50 years after the events of the original 1973 film.
The approach for The Exorcist reboot is to lean into Burstyn’s knowledge and insight into the character. Green referred to her as his “spiritual guru” as she is there to “evaluate” and give him “notes on the script.” The idea will be to examine “the way the film affected her life” and then find “ways that the story we’re creating affected Chris MacNeil in certain ways.”
Green’s take on John Carpenter’s original Halloween will conclude this week on October 14 with Halloween Ends. It will be the end of an era for the slasher genre as it is supposedly the last time Curtis will play Laurie Strode, one of the OG final girls.
The Exorcist reboot will be directed by Green. It will be written by Peter Sattler (Camp X-Ray) and Scott Teems (Halloween Kills). It will star Burstyn, Ann Dowd (Hereditary), and Leslie Odom Jr. (Hamilton). The film is expected to release on October 13, 2023.