‘The Exorcist’ Could Be Coming To Television
The Exorcist may be the next big television series for rabid viewers, who will soon be reeling from the finales of both Dexter and Breaking Bad.
According to a Wednesday report from Deadline, the classic William Peter Blatty novel, which would become the 1973 big screen shocker, is being eyed by multiple networks.
All this comes just in time for the 40th anniversary of William Friedkin’s box office hit.
Deadline noted that Morgan Creek has the rights to the property, and is busy shopping a TV pitch around the network scene. The pilot script comes from young up-and-coming feature guy Jeremy Slater, who has also been credited with the story and screenplay for 2015’s The Fantastic Four reboot, according to IMDb. He will also adapt DC Vertigo’s Fables series.
Both broadcast and cable networks are reportedly interested in the project, which will be executive produced by the EP behind The Departed and The Ring, Roy Lee.
In 2012, Lee and Morgan Creek unsuccessfully shopped another interpretation of The Exorcist around town. The writer of that project was Sean Durkin, who wrote and directed 2011’s Martha Marcy May Marlene, a film about a young woman picking up the pieces of her life after she flees an abusive cult.
Given the backgrounds of both writers, you would think Durkin’s involvement would have stood a better chance at making Blatty’s novel fit for the small screen.
The original version of the novel will certainly be a hard one to top. All but one of the sequels — The Exorcist III — fell way, way short of the prize.
Here’s a trailer for the original:
(Seriously, though, if you haven’t checked out The Exorcist III, do so at once. It’s awesome.)
Between William Peter Blatty’s lawsuit with his old alma mater and the original film losing its master FX man at age 87 earlier this year, this should be a welcome bit of news for fans of the property.
What do you think about the idea to bring The Exorcist to television? Will it be enough to replace what we’ll be losing later this year?
