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

American actress Linda Blair on the set of The Exorcist, based on the novel by William Peter Blatty and directed by William Friedkin. (Photo by Warner Bros. Pictures/Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty Images)
Linda Blair in The Exorcist which shocked audiences when it was released in 1973. (Warner Bros. Pictures/Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty Images)

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.

Read more: The Invisible Man director to tackle Wolfman next

“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.

AUSTIN, TX - MARCH 11:  Jason Blum speaks onstage at Featured Session: Ethan Hawke and Jason Blum during the 2019 SXSW Conference and Festivals at Austin Convention Center on March 11, 2019 in Austin, Texas.  (Photo by Dave Pedley/Getty Images for SXSW)
Jason Blum speaks onstage at 2019 SXSW Conference and Festivals. (Dave Pedley/Getty Images for SXSW)

“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.

Swedish actor Max von Sydow and American actress Linda Blair on the set of The Exorcist, based on the novel by William Peter Blatty and directed by William Friedkin. (Photo by Warner Bros. Pictures/Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty Images)
Max von Sydow and Linda Blair on the set of The Exorcist (Warner Bros. Pictures/Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty Images)

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.