Mike Flanagan hopes The Exorcist remake will be 'the scariest movie of all time'

Mike Flanagan hopes his remake of 'The Exorcist' will be "the scariest movie of all time".

The 46-year-old director – who is helming the film that will retell the story of the 1973 horror classic – is planning to pay tribute to the original by creating a movie that will shock and terrify modern audiences the same way the first picture did.

Speaking on a panel during FanExpo Canada, he said: "The original 'Exorcist' is a formative film for me. I've only once in my career felt this feeling of stepping into the shadow of a monolith. I'm already nauseous every day about 'The Exorcist'.

"When it came out, it was the scariest movie of all time at that time.

"Modern audiences don't necessarily connect with the film the same way, so my mission for this is to try to make it the scariest movie of the time. If I can do that, then I hope it will connect with people."

The 'Doctor Sleep' director had previously promised he would be leading a "radical new take" on the iconic horror flick, which is slated to hit cinemas in 2026.

He said in a statement: "'The Exorcist' is one of the reasons I became a filmmaker, and it is an honour to have the chance to try something fresh, bold, and terrifying within its universe."

Flanagan is taking over the franchise from David Gordon Green after 'The Exorcist: Believer' underperformed at the box office and disappointed fans and critics, leading to the filmmaker's planned trilogy being scrapped.

Famed horror director John Carpenter – who had worked with Green on the 'Halloween' reboot trilogy – admitted he didn't understand how the filmmaker could "screw up" 'Believer'.

Speaking to the Los Angeles Times newspaper, he said: "I like what David did when he made the three 'Halloweens'. I loved number two ['Halloween Kills']. [I] thought that was fabulous.

"I heard 'The Exorcist' really didn’t cut it. That could be a kick-a** movie. I don’t understand how you can screw that up."