Summary
- The original Exorcist sequels will remain canon in the upcoming reboot series, The Exorcist: Believer.
- David Gordon Green, the director of The Exorcist: Believer, confirmed that The Exorcist II: The Heretic and The Exorcist III will be part of the acceptable mythology of the new film.
- While the sequels will remain canon, it is unlikely that the upcoming film will directly reference or incorporate any elements from them.
The Exorcist: Believer will finally continue the story of the original The Exorcist movie, but will the other Exorcist sequels remain canon in the upcoming reboot series? Although The Exorcist is one of the most iconic horror movies of all time, its sequels are rarely talked about, with them fading with time due to their poor critical and commercial reception. Despite this, the stories of The Exorcist sequels play a big role in the franchise’s universe, causing many fans to wonder if they will still be canon in The Exorcist: Believer.
1973’s The Exorcist was a smash hit upon its initial release, with it instantly becoming one of the most popular horror movies of all time. Because of this, sequels to The Exorcist quickly followed. 1977’s The Exorcist II: The Heretic, 1990’s The Exorcist III, 2004’s Exorcist: The Beginning, and 2005’s Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist all continued the story of the original film, although they weren’t nearly as successful as the 1973 classic. So, although The Exorcist: Believer is being marketed as a direct follow-up to the original, it is actually the sixth Exorcist movie, meaning that it should keep the other sequels canon.
The Exorcist II: The Heretic & The Exorcist III Are Still Canon In The Exorcist: Believer
Interestingly, it has already been confirmed that The Exorcist II: The Heretic and The Exorcist III are still canon in the story of The Exorcist: Believer. David Gordon Green will be directing the upcoming film, and due to him making the Halloween sequels non-canon in his Halloween reboot trilogy, some fans were worried that he would give The Exorcist sequels the same treatment. Luckily, Green explained that The Exorcist sequels “can all fall into the acceptable mythology” of The Exorcist: Believer (via /Film).
While Gordon directly addresses The Exorcist II by name in this interview, his comments are kind of vague regarding The Exorcist‘s two prequels. Their canon status has remained in question due to their content, and they have mostly been forgotten with time. However, David Gordon Green’s previous comment as well as his statement that he “like[s] all the Exorcist movies” at least implies that the prequels will remain canon as well.
Why The Exorcist: Believer Can Keep The Original Exorcist Sequels Canon
The Exorcist: Believer can keep the original The Exorcist sequels canon mainly because they won’t affect the upcoming movie in any real way. Unlike the Halloween sequels, the stories of The Exorcist‘s sequels are relatively small-scale and low-stakes. Because of this, it is doubtful that The Exorcist: Believer would conflict with anything in these sequels, meaning that there’s no good reason to make them non-canonical.
Although they are canon, it is seriously doubtful that any representation from The Exorcist sequels will appear in the upcoming film. These follow-ups aren’t nearly as popular as the 1973 original, meaning that any direct references would be catering to an incredibly niche crowd. While there could be Easter eggs, The Exorcist: Believer probably won’t have much to do with The Exorcist sequels, even though they will remain canon.
Source: /Film
