'The Exorcist' reboot will 'prove critics wrong' says producer Jason Blum (exclusive)

Horror producer Jason Blum has dared critics of his The Exorcist reboot to watch the movie before passing judgement, saying the proof will be in the pudding.

News of the 'theatrical reboot' of The Exorcist was met with a mixed response when it was first revealed in 2020, with some horror fans considering the 1973 original as a property best left alone.

But Blum, the acclaimed producer behind Blumhouse Productions (Get Out, The Invisible Man), believes this new film will shock and surprise viewers.

“We’re gonna surprise everyone with The Exorcist,” Blum told Yahoo while promoting The Forever Purge, in UK cinemas from 16 July.

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“I know there are a lot of sceptics out there, a lot of people who think this is sacred ground that we should not be treading on. But my job is to prove them wrong and I am confident,” he smiled.

“We have a terrific script, we’re going to make the movie in the next 18 months or so, and like I said, I’m going to prove my sceptics and critics wrong. I dare them to go and see my movie.”

When William Friedkin’s The Exorcist was released in 1973, it shocked audiences around the world. So much so, it was said to have provoked fainting and vomiting in cinemas. Even home video copies of the controversial horror flick were banned in the UK, taken off shelves for 11 years.

It inspired a number of sequels, the most recent — Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist —appeared on screens in 2005, as well as a short-lived TV series which was cancelled in 2017.

The Exorcist sequel has David Gordon Green attached to direct, who is also working with Blum on his own Halloween reboot trilogy. Blum clearly rates the writer-director, again giving audiences faith in what could be in store for the new Exorcist movie.

Read more: Jason Blum shoots down Get Out 2

“We had two amazing writers in Danny McBride and David Gordon Green, wrote all three Halloween movies together. I think they did an amazing job.”

As for whether there will be any further Halloween movies after this scheduled trilogy, Blum said, “Boy, that’s anybody’s guess. I gotta talk a lot more people than David Gordon Green into that.”

The Forever Purge arrives in UK cinemas on 16 July. Watch a trailer below.