Now that David Gordon Green has moved on from one horror classic, it is time to move on to another. Deadline has reported that Lidya Jewett (Good Girls) has joined The Exorcist trilogy, which is getting the legacy sequel treatment that Green delivered with Halloween.
Universal and Peacock picked up the rights for $400 million. That money spent is planned to see a quick return as the movie aims for an October 13 release. Production shut down in December for the holidays, which reportedly was due to Glass Onion star Leslie Odom Jr. having some kind of health issue.
Details are sparse for the role Lidya Jewett has in The Exorcist. She joins Odom Jr., Ann Dowd (The Handmaid’s Tale), and the star of the original 1973 film, Ellen Burstyn. Like what we saw with Jamie Lee Curtis reprising her role for the Halloween trilogy, this will give similar treatment as it explores Burtstyn’s character all these decades after the events of the original film.
The trilogy will be directed by Green. His Halloween team—Scott Teems and Danny McBride—reteam with the filmmaker for the supernatural legacy sequels. It was written by Green and Peter Sattler (Broken Diamonds). Green, McBride, and Couper Samuelson will executive produce. Jason Blum, David Robinson, and James Robinson will produce.
The Exorcist trilogy grabs Lidya Jewett to its cast
The original film is an all-timer for the horror genre. At the time, it was the highest-grossing horror movie at the domestic box office as it earned $230 million, which gained $428 million worldwide. The film was also the first in the genre to earn a Best Picture nomination at the Oscars. Burstyn was nominated for Best Actress in a Leading Role.
Lidya Jewett is already a rising star, and The Exorcist trilogy will likely be a significant boost. Just as Burstyn’s experience with horror and Dowd’s with Hereditary, the young star has had some time in the genre. She starred with Krysten Ritter in the YA Netflix film Nightbooks. Beyond the genre, she has also starred in Good Girls, Feel the Beat, Hidden Figures, Vivo, and Ivy + Bean.