Vertical Entertainment just acquired the rights to ‘The Exorcism,’ which is somehow totally unrelated to ‘The Pope’s Exorcist’.
The Big Picture
- Russell Crowe stars in upcoming horror film
The Exorcism
, released June 7 with rights acquired by Vertical Entertainment. - The movie follows actor Anthony Miller experiencing supernatural occurrences during a horror film shoot, involving his daughter in a disturbing mystery.
- Impressive cast includes Sam Worthington, Chloe Bailey, David Hyde Pierce, Samantha Mathis, Adam Goldberg, and Adrian Pasdar.
The Exorcism is set to bedevil moviegoers this summer. The Russell Crowe horror flick, formerly titled The Georgetown Project, will hit theaters on June 7, with a release on horror specialty streamer Shudder to follow. The film’s North American rights, formerly in the hands of Miramax, have been acquired by Vertical Entertainment, who have arranged for its theatrical release.
The film centers around actor Anthony Miller (Crowe), whose troubles come to the forefront as he shoots a supernatural horror movie. His estranged daughter (Ryan Simpkins) has to figure out whether he’s lapsing into his past addictions, or if something even more horrific is occurring. It’s the second exorcism-related project for Crowe in as many years; The Pope’s Exorcist was a surprise hit last year, grossing $77 million USD on an $18 million budget. And he isn’t the only creative on the film with exorcism experience – director Joshua John Miller is the son of Jason Miller, who starred as Father Karras in the iconic 1973 fright flick The Exorcist.
Who Else Stars in ‘The Exorcism’?
In addition to Oscar-winner Crowe and Simpkins, who has established her own “scream queen” bonafides with her roles in Netflix’s Fear Street Trilogy, The Exorcism boasts an impressive cast. Avatar star Sam Worthington will play Joe, while musician/actor Chloe Bailey of Grown-ish and Swarm will play Blake Holloway. Frasier‘s David Hyde Pierce will portray Father Conor; Samantha Mathis, of Pump Up the Volume, will play Jennifer Simon; and The Equalizer‘s Adam Goldberg will star as Peter. Adrian Pasdar, of Heroes and Agents of SHIELD will play Tom; he also starred with director Miller in the classic 1986 vampire film Near Dark.
The Exorcism was written and directed by Miller and partner M.A. Fortin; it is their second feature, after the 2015 comedy horror film The Final Girls. They also created the TV series Queen of the South. Prior to becoming a director, Miller was an actor, starring in films like the aforementioned Near Dark, Halloween III: Season of the Witch, and Teen Witch. Kevin Williamson, the mind behind horror hits like Scream, I Know What You Did Last Summer, and The Faculty, will produce the film, as will Ben Fast and Bill Block. Padraic McKinley, Scott Putman, Andrew Golov, and Thom Zadra executive produce.
The Exorcism will be released in theaters on June 7, 2024, with a release on Shudder to follow. Stay tuned to Collider for future updates.
This article was originally published on collider.com