Move Over ‘Carrie’: Mike Flanagan Teases His ‘Exorcist’ Movie at NYCC 2026

Mike Flanagan is a busy man. Just this week, his TV series remake of Stephen King‘s horror classic, Carrie, premiered on Prime Video. Clayface, the body-horror movie inspired by the DC Comics character, for which he co-wrote the script, hits theaters on Oct. 23. Now, he’s onto promoting his next completed project, a film he called “the scariest movie I’ve ever made,” while discussing The Exorcist: Martyrs at Friday’s Blumhouse panel at NYCC. If you’ve been keeping track, Flanagan’s name has been attached to the iconic horror franchise, which began in 1973 and is based on the William Peter Blatty novel of the same name. Since Linda Blair terrified audiences as the demon-possessed young girl, Reagan MacNeil, the movie series expanded. There have been sequels, a prequel and even a short-lived TV show. In 2023, David Gordon Green attempted to reboot the franchise with The Exorcist: The Believer. Now, it’s Flanagan’s turn. The Exorcist: Martyrs gives a new spin on the Exorcist canon and injects a Minderhunter-style serial killer narrative element into the mix. If you watched the TV series I mentioned above, you’ll notice a similar procedural vibe in the brand-new trailer that dropped during the panel. And if you’re an Exorcist III stan, I’m sure you’ll be happy with the just-released clip, as it’s got that similar brooding feeling, here. The Exorcist: Martyrs stars Scarlett Johansson as an NYPD detective tracking a serial killer named Father Sunday (Jon Leguizamo), who uses Catholic iconography in his kills. Chiwetel Ejiofor, fresh out of The Backrooms, also stars in the film, opposite Laurence Fishburne, Sasha Calle and Jacobi Jupe. If you’ve been yearning for the Mike Flanagan era of Oculus and The Haunting of Hill House, The Exorcist: Martyrs feels like the filmmaker is back in his terrifying groove. While I’m still waiting for his adaptation of Stephen King’s The Dark Tower to see the light of day, this will have to do. The Exorcist: Martyrs premieres in theaters on Friday, March 12, 2027.