The Exorcist fans concerned about new film despite Ellen Burstyn’s return

Fans of The Exorcist have been left feeling wary over the future of the film franchise.

Over the weekend, the trailer of a new sequel, titled The Exorcist: Believer, was shown ahead of Oppenheimer screenings, and on Tuesday (25 July), that trailer was made available online.

The film follows two young girls who are found three days after going missing, and then start to display evidence that they have been possessed.

But what starts out looking like it could be any other horror film focused on possession then introduces a familiar face: Ellen Burstyn, who has returned to play Chris MacNeil, the mother of Linda Blair’s Regan, who was possessed in William Friedkin’s 1973 original.

Burstyn’s character is located by the father of one of the girls after discovering she went through a similar experience five decades ago. At one stage in the trailer, Chris comes face-to-face with his possessed daughter, and says: “We’ve met before.”

Her role in the film has convinced many to see The Exorcist: Believer despite thinking that the trailer makes the film look bad.

“This has to be the most desperate a studio has been for a legacy sequel,” one fan wrote, with another adding: “Nice to see Ellen Burstyn but I’m keeping my expectations incredibly low.”

The nostalgic factor worked for many people, though – especially because of the usage of The Exorcist’s theme “Tubular Bells”.

“Ellen Burstyn being back and the theme music gave me goosebumps, hyped!” one fan wrote.

The Exorcist: Believer stars Leslie Odom Jr, Ann Dowd, Lidya Jewett, and Olivia Marcum. The film, written by Peter Sattler and David Gordon Green will arrive on 13 October, which is The Exorcist’s 50th anniversary.

Green, who also rebooted the Halloween franchise to a middling reception, is the project’s director.