Summary
Fans of Mike Flanagan’s work will know how busy the director is right now with projects that includeThe Life of Chuck, which will release in theaters on June 6, adapting Stephen King’sCarriefor Prime Video, and his work onThe Dark Toweradaptation. However, even a person as talented and as hardworking as Flanagan can only take on so much, leaving little room for anything else, and that seems to be the case with hishorrormovieThe Exorcist, as it reportedly won’t meet its scheduled release date next year.
Not only is Flanagan a highly praised filmmaker with the likes ofThe Haunting of Hill House,Midnight Mass,andDoctor Sleepunder his belt, but he is also incredibly open about the success and the difficulties surrounding his projects, something that fans have grown to appreciate over the years. Recently,Flanagan revealed the exhausting process of casting the lead for hisCarrieadaptation, stating that he and the production team had to go through 1,800 different auditions for the role before finally finding its star in Summer H. Howell. The acclaimed director also revealed in November last year thathe had a good idea about who he wanted to cast inThe Dark Toweradaptation, but due to being very open about his past endeavors, he wanted to keep this one a secret until the time was right.
Mike Flanagan’s The Exorcist Won’t Make Its March 2026 Release Date
Not backward about coming forward,Mike Flanagan has revealed that hisThe Exorcistfilmwon’t be released in March 2026 after all due to scheduling issues. According toThe Hollywood Reporter, Flanagan revealed the news on Tumblr in response to a fan asking a question about whether the movie was still going ahead. Flanagan explained in his post that he is busy finishing off hisCarrieTV series, which has taken top priority for Amazon MGM Studios, which aims to adapt Stephen King’s 1974 novel. “Production hasn’t started, we need to finishCarriefirst,” Flanagan penned. “No way it’s coming out next March.” Flanagan went on to reassure fans that the film is still going ahead, though, and told them that the delay is “Nothing to worry about, though.”
To seal the deal, it seems as though Universal Pictures has also removedThe Exorcistfrom its 2026 release calendar, replacing the horror movie with an undisclosed Blumhouse project. Although it must be difficult for Flanagan to put a pin on hisExorcistadaptation’s release date, since the 1974 movie directed by William Friedkin was one of the reasons he got into filmmaking, it’s likely a good idea that it’s not being rushed sinceThe Exorcistis such an iconic classic. Flanagan previously also reassured fans of the original that his take onThe Exorcistwon’t be a remake or a sequel, and will instead be a new story. “There’s no point in remaking it. There’s no point in trying to do that story again or better than the way it was done. So you have to do something new,” said Flanagan.
Even thoughFlanagan’s take onThe Exorcistwon’t make its release date and instead arrive sometime after March 2026, fans can watchThe Exorcist: Believer, which is currentlystreaming on Prime Video.
