Supergirl Actress Cast in New Exorcist Film

A new "Exorcist" movie is in the works – featuring superstar Scarlett Johansson! Behind the project is horror expert Mike Flanagan, known for the Netflix hit "The Haunting of Hill House". Industry portal Deadline is now reporting further progress in casting.

According to the report, Sasha Calle will be part of the cast. The actress is best known as Kara Zor-El, aka Supergirl, in the 2023 film "The Flash". She was most recently seen alongside Ben Affleck and Matt Damon in the Netflix crime thriller "The Rip". Her role in the new "Exorcist" has not yet been revealed.

What is already known about the new Exorcist

The new Exorcist is not a sequel. Instead, Flanagan wants to tell a new story in the "Exorcist" universe with his film. To this end, he has assembled an impressive cast. At the top of the list is, of course, Marvel star Scarlett Johansson. Also on board are "Matrix" icon Laurence Fishburne and Chiwetel Ejiofor, lead actor from "12 Years a Slave". The cast also includes Diane Lane and Jacobi Jupe, who was most recently seen in the Oscar-nominated film "Hamnet".

Mike Flanagan is responsible for both the direction and the screenplay. Filming will take place in New York. A release date has already been announced. Flanagan's "The Exorcist" is set to hit theaters on March 12, 2027.

The Exorcist phenomenon

With the new "Exorcist" film, Hollywood is continuing one of the most influential horror phenomena in film history. Because the name "The Exorcist" is much more than just a title. It is an important building block in cinema history that changed the genre forever.

The Exorcist (1973)

When "The Exorcist" was released in theaters in 1973, hardly anyone expected that a film about exorcism would cause a cultural earthquake. It was directed by William Friedkin, based on the novel of the same name by William Peter Blatty, who also wrote the screenplay. The film centers on 12-year-old Regan, played by Linda Blair, who exhibits increasingly disturbing behavior – until two priests finally attempt to exorcise the supposed demon. What is now considered a horror classic was a borderline experience for audiences at the time.

Why was the film so special?

The success of "The Exorcist" was not solely due to its shock moments – although these are legendary. Much more decisive was its realistic approach. Friedkin staged the story in an almost documentary-like manner. This made the supernatural events seem all the more credible. Added to this was a seriousness that horror films had rarely possessed until then: instead of pure sensationalism, it was about faith, doubt, science, and existential fear.

The special effects at the time were technically revolutionary. Reports of fainting audience members and canceled screenings made the film even more of a talking point. It is also interesting to note that "The Exorcist" received several nominations and two Academy Awards – something that was not a given. It proved that the genre could be more than just exploitation cinema.

The influence on the horror genre

Without "The Exorcist," modern horror cinema would probably look very different. The film finally established the subgenre of religious or demonic horror in the mainstream. Later works such as "The Omen" and, decades later, "The Conjuring" take up motifs that made Friedkin's work popular: the struggle between good and evil, manifested in the private sphere, in the protective space of the family.

The film also showed that horror can reflect social debates – in the 1970s, for example, the crisis of faith and mistrust of institutions. It was precisely this thematic depth that made it so influential.

The Exorcist universe

The success led to several sequels and reinterpretations. "The Exorcist 2: The Heretic" was released in 1977, but failed to match its predecessor's success with critics and audiences alike. "The Exorcist 3", released in 1990, was better received, as it was closer to the dark atmosphere of the original.

In the 2000s, two prequels followed with "Exorcist: The Beginning" and "Dominion: Prequel to The Exorcist" – an unusual chapter in the franchise's history. Most recently, David Gordon Green attempted to establish a direct sequel to the 1973 classic with "The Exorcist: Confession". However, it was not a great success.

Why The Exorcist still fascinates today

More than five decades after the original, "The Exorcist" is still a reference point for the genre. This is not only due to its iconic images, but also to its timeless basic idea: the intrusion of the incomprehensible into a seemingly normal world.

The fact that Mike Flanagan, a director known for psychologically dense horror, is now taking on the project raises high expectations. It will be interesting to see what approach the filmmaker chooses. And whether he succeeds in transferring the spirit of the original – seriousness, atmospheric density, and existential questions – into a new story.