Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 Years a Slave, Children of Men) reunites with director Mike Flanagan in The Exorcist, following their recent collaboration on The Life of Chuck, which won the People’s Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival. The film is produced by Blumhouse-Atomic Monster and Morgan Creek Entertainment for Universal Pictures. Ejiofor joins Scarlett Johansson, Jacobi Jupe, and Diane Lane, who were previously announced.
The film will be released theatrically on Friday, March 12, 2027, and is set to shoot in New York City.
Academy Award-nominated and BAFTA Award-winning actor, writer, and director Chiwetel Ejiofor has built one of the most distinguished careers across film, television, and stage. He is best known for his BAFTA winning, Academy Award-nominated performance as Solomon Northup in 12 Years a Slave, as well as roles in Doctor Strange, The Martian, Children of Men, American Gangster, Inside Man, and Love Actually. His recent work includes The Old Guard 2 for Netflix, the record-breaking Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy, and Marvel and Sony’s Venom: The Last Dance. He will next be seen in Paramount’s Children of Blood and Bone, and A24’s The Backrooms.
Ejiofor is also an accomplished filmmaker. His directorial debut, The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind premiered on Netflix to critical acclaim, and his sophomore feature, Rob Peace, which he wrote, directed, and starred in, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and received a NAACP Image Award nomination. His work across stage and screen has earned him an Olivier Award, Emmy and Golden Globe nominations, and a CBE for services to drama.
Ejiofor is represented by Markham, Froggatt and Irwin, Premier PR, and Hirsch Wallerstein Hayum Matlof and Fishman.
The film will tell an all-new story set in The Exorcist universe and is not a sequel to 2023’s The Exorcist: Believer. It is produced by Blumhouse-Atomic Monster, Morgan Creek Entertainment and Flanagan, who will also write and direct via his Red Room Pictures banner. Alexandra Magistro will also executive produce for Red Room Pictures. David Robinson produces for Morgan Creek Entertainment. Jason Blum and Ryan Turek serve as producer and executive producer, respectively, for Blumhouse-Atomic Monster.
From revolutionary writer-director Mike Flanagan – revered creator of the acclaimed series The Fall of the House of Usher, Midnight Mass and The Haunting of Hill House and the groundbreaking films The Life of Chuck (TIFF Audience Award Winner), Oculus, Doctor Sleep and Gerald’s Game – comes a radical new vision of the most terrifying title in the history of cinematic horror.
