‘The Exorcism’ Trailer Goes Meta, Inspired by Cursed Making of ‘The Exorcist’
The official trailer for the new horror film The Exorcism (formerly known as The Georgetown Project) was released online today, previewing a uniquely meta approach to an exorcism story, from the son of one of the original exorcists from The Exorcist itself.
From Miramax, producer Kevin Williamson (Scream franchise) and Outerbanks Entertainment, the film is directed by Joshua John Miller and written by Miller and M.A. Fortin, the creators of the hit series Queen of The South and the writers and producers of The Final Girls. The film stars film stars Academy Award®-winner Russell Crowe (Gladiator, The Mummy, The Pope’s Exorcist), Ryan Simpkins (Fear Street Trilogy), Sam Worthington (Avatar: The Way of Water), Chloe Bailey (Praise This), Adam Goldberg (The Equalizer; watch our interview here), and David Hyde Pierce (Frasier).
The Exorcism follows Anthony Miller (Crowe), a troubled actor who begins to unravel while shooting a supernatural horror film. His estranged daughter (Simpkins) wonders if he’s slipping back into his past addictions or if there’s something more sinister at play.
The film marks the sophomore outing as director for Joshua John Miller after an extensive career acting, producing, and writing. He began his career as the son of Tom Atkins’ character in the 1982 sequel Halloween III: Season of the Witch and then as one of the leads in Kathryn Bigelow’s vampire classic Near Dark. Miller brings decades of knowledge of horror films to the table, as well as familial connections in his father, Jason Miller, who portrayed Father Damien Karras in The Exorcist (1973), and his mother, Susan Bernard, who was a Scream Queen.
Director and co-writer Joshua Miller released the following statement today: “The origins of the film stem from my childhood spent watching my father, Jason Miller, playing the doomed Father Karras flinging himself out a window at the climax of The Exorcist. If that wasn’t haunting enough on its own, my dad never shied away from telling me stories of just how ‘cursed’ the movie was: the mysterious fires that plagued the production, the strange deaths, the lifelong injuries— the list went on and on. The lore of any ‘cursed film’ has captivated me ever since.
“With The Exorcism, we wanted to update the possession movie formula (‘Heroic man rescues woman from forces she’s too weak and simple to battle herself!’) for a world where no one group owns goodness and decency over another. We were gifted with an extraordinary cast and creative team to tell a story about how we’re all vulnerable to darkness, to perpetuating it, if we fail to face our demons.
“The devil may retaliate, but what other choice do we have?”
The film is produced by Miramax, Kevin Williamson, Ben Fast, and Bill Block, with Padraic McKinley, Scott Putman, Andrew Golov, and Thom Zadra serving as executive producers.
The Exorcism will have an exclusive theatrical release on June 21, and will stream on Shudder at a later date.
You can watch the official trailer and see the new poster below.
Related: [Interview] Adam Goldberg Talks ‘The Exorcism’ and Getting Married on Halloween
