'The Exorcist' Original Star Ellen Burstyn Criticizes Film's Sequels and Reboots

Ellen Burstyn, who played Chris MacNeil, the mother of the possessed girl Regan, in the classic The Exorcist (1973), criticized the constant sequels and reboots of the franchise. In an interview with Variety, the actress expressed her weariness with the new productions inspired by horror. "Isn't 'The Exorcist' enough already? Enough already," she declared.

The statement came while commenting on the new film in the franchise, The Exorcist: Martyrs, directed by Mike Flanagan and starring Scarlett Johansson. The film is treated as a creative reboot of the saga, which continues to gain new versions more than five decades after the release of the original.

Everything you need to know about the new Exorcist

The cast of Mike Flanagan's The Exorcist includes Scarlett Johansson, Rahul Kohli, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Laurence Fishburne, John Leguizamo, Sasha Calle, Diane Lane, and Jacobi Jupe, a child actor who recently gained international attention for his performance in Chloé Zhao's Hamnet.

Mike Flanagan, considered the master of modern horror, writes and directs the reboot.

The Exorcist movie will tell a completely new story set against the backdrop of the classic and is not a sequel to The Exorcist: The Devoted (2023). The last film in the franchise was neither a critical nor a box office success, grossing $136 million during its theatrical run – well over its $30 million budget, but nowhere near the $400 million that Universal Pictures spent for the franchise rights.

The film is scheduled to premiere on March 12, 2027.