Though Geena Davis enjoyed (?) a recurring role on Grey's Anatomy Season 11, she hasn't had a proper small-screen showcase since starring as U.S. president Mackenzie Allen on the short-lived ABC drama Commander in Chief during the 2005-06 TV season. Now, that may be about to change.
According to The Wrap, the Oscar winner has been cast in the “theoretical series regular” role of Angela Rance on FOX's The Exorcist, a “modern reinvention” of William Peter Blatty's famous 1971 novel that also served as the basis for William Friedkin's blockbuster 1973 film. Rance is described as “a naturally beautiful, regal and proud woman who is weighed down by stress. Rance does everything she can to stay positive and keep her faith even though her family is currently struggling. She can”t help but wonder, however, if perhaps her nightmares about a demon are a sign of what”s wrong.”
The pilot was written by Jeremy Slater (Fantastic Four, The Lazarus Effect) and will be directed by Rupert Wyatt (Rise of the Planet of the Apes). Davis joins the previously-cast Alfonso Herrera, Ben Daniels, Brianne Howey and Hannah Kasulka, the latter two of whom are set to play Charlotte and Casey Rance, respectively. Could Davis be the Ellen Burstyn in his update? God willing. If she can bring even an ounce of the freaked-out energy she brought to David Cronenberg's The Fly, we'll be in good hands.
For more on The Exorcist, you can watch Drew McWeeny and I discuss the pilot (in addition to the upcoming remakes of Suspiria and Cronenberg's Rabid) in the video embedded above and below.