For some dumb reason, I always believed that “The Exorcist” (along with maybe “Alien”) was the one horror film that could be counted as safe from Hollywood's remake frenzy. Boy, was I naive! According to a report on Deadline Hollywood yesterday, Morgan Creek Productions is in fact “tossing around ideas” for that very thing. Tossing around ideas, Morgan Creek? How about tossing them right into the ocean?
Bottom line: there's absolutely no reason whatsoever to remake a perfect film. “The Exorcist” may have been released over 40 years ago, but it feels as modern and terrifying today as it did in 1973. And if his Twitter feed is any indication, director William Friedkin doesn't seem particularly thrilled about the idea either. Here's what the Oscar-winning filmmaker had to say on the matter:
I mention it only in passing, but I don't believe Morgan Creek has rights to THE ORIGINAL, only the so-called sequels.
– William Friedkin (@WilliamFriedkin) September 25, 2015
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“So-called.” Oof. Though Friedkin's tweet doesn't outright diss the project, his real feelings might well be summed up by this observation from Twitter user @mccrabb_will, which Friedkin quickly retweeted.
@WilliamFriedkin Whatever $possesses$ Hollywood to remake your film there is and always shall be one THE EXORCIST. pic.twitter.com/7DnuZNUXHE
– WILL McCRABB (@mccrabb_will) September 25, 2015
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Fingers crossed that Friedkin is right. I doubt anyone's looking for a remake of “Exorcist II: The Heretic.”