David Gordon Green’s “The Exorcist: Believer” was supposed to mark the beginning of a new trilogy for the iconic horror franchise, brought to life by Blumhouse and Universal through a hefty $400 million deal. However, after “Believer” faced underwhelming box office performance and predominantly negative reviews, questions have arisen regarding the fate of the planned trilogy.

Originally, the trilogy was set to include “The Exorcist: Believer,” followed by “The Exorcist: Deceiver,” already scheduled for a theatrical release on April 18, 2025. The assumption was that David Gordon Green would helm all three films, much like his involvement in Blumhouse’s recent “Halloween” trilogy. However, a recent conversation with The Hollywood Reporter has cast uncertainty on this expectation.

According to THR, Green has outlined ideas for the next two chapters of the “Exorcist” sequel trilogy. While initially planning to both co-write and direct all three chapters, Green is now cautious about confirming his role as the director for “The Exorcist: Deceiver” or the eventual trilogy conclusion.

In Green’s own words, he stated, “My intention is just to start making things, and as those plans come together, if I find myself in that [The Exorcist: Deceiver] director’s chair, I’d be thrilled. But right now, I’m navigating it from a story perspective and looking at my realities of life as I pivot.”

He added, “And one of the things that’s been really great between these horror franchises is doing that comedy series on HBO, ‘The Righteous Gemstones.’ So it’s fun to be able to step away, take a deep breath, have a big laugh, and then get back to work in the genre.”

The future of the “Exorcist” franchise remains uncertain, with more updates expected to emerge as plans develop.

“The Exorcist: Believer” featured a plot synopsis that reads, “Since the death of his pregnant wife in a Haitian earthquake 12 years ago, Victor Fielding (Leslie Odom, Jr.) has raised their daughter Angela (Lidya Jewett) on his own. But when Angela and her friend Katherine (Olivia Marcum) disappear in the woods, only to return three days later with no memory of what happened, it unleashes a chain of events that will force Victor to confront the nadir of evil and, in his terror and desperation, seek out the only person alive who has witnessed anything like it before: Chris MacNeil (Ellen Burstyn).”

The screenplay for “Believer” was written by Peter Sattler and David Gordon Green, featuring a story by Green, Scott Teems, and Danny McBride.

The “Exorcist” franchise had been dormant on the big screen since the 2005 release of “Dominion: Prequel to The Exorcist,” an alternate version of the previous year’s “Exorcist: The Beginning.” These films followed 1977’s “The Exorcist II: The Heretic” and 1990’s “The Exorcist III.” More recently, “The Exorcist” was adapted into a short-lived but acclaimed television series on Fox, set in the same universe as the original classic.