Mike Flanagan has spent years making audiences afraid of haunted houses, isolated islands, and even a certain Colorado hotel. Now he's turning his attention to one of horror's most sacred texts: The Exorcist. The first trailer for his take on the franchise, titled The Exorcist: Martyrs, has officially arrived, and it promises a fresh, crime-tinged spin on the demonic possession saga.
Scarlett Johansson leads the film as Julie Miller, an NYPD homicide detective and single mother to 12-year-old Max. Her investigation brings her face-to-face with Father Sunday, a serial killer portrayed by John Leguizamo. Julie catches him, watches him die by execution—and then, because this is The Exorcist, things get much worse. The premise cleverly folds a procedural manhunt into supernatural terror, giving Flanagan a new way into a story that has been told many times before.
A New Chapter, Not a Continuation
Flanagan writes and directs Martyrs, which is not connected to 2023's The Exorcist: Believer. That means no dangling plot threads, no forced continuity—just a clean slate for a filmmaker known for reimagining familiar horror tropes with emotional depth. He produces alongside Jason Blum and David Robinson, with Blumhouse, Atomic Monster, and Morgan Creek Entertainment backing the project in association with Red Room Pictures.
The ensemble is stacked: Jacobi Jupe, Diane Lane, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Sasha Calle, and Laurence Fishburne join Johansson. Flanagan regulars Carla Gugino, Kate Siegel, Rahul Kohli, and Hamish Linklater also appear, which should delight fans of The Haunting of Hill House and Midnight Mass. If you've ever wondered how Flanagan's repertory would handle a demonic possession, this is your answer.
Why This One Matters
Flanagan already proved he could respectfully extend a beloved horror property with Doctor Sleep, his sequel to The Shining. Tackling The Exorcist is a taller order—William Friedkin's 1973 original is widely considered one of the greatest horror films ever made, and it's a regular fixture on rankings like our list of the scariest movies of all time. But Flanagan's track record suggests he's more interested in character than cheap scares, and Johansson's detective gives the story a grounded emotional core.
The trailer hints at a slow-burn descent: a criminal case that spirals into something far more sinister. It's a smart structure, allowing the supernatural threat to creep in rather than announce itself. For a franchise built on the battle between faith and evil, that approach feels both reverent and refreshingly modern.
Release Date and What's Next
The Exorcist: Martyrs hits theaters on March 12, 2027. That's a long wait, but Flanagan fans are used to anticipating his next move. In the meantime, the trailer offers plenty to dissect—from the eerie imagery to the question of whether Julie's son Max might be more than just a bystander. If the film delivers on the promise of its first look, it could join the ranks of recent horror hits that balance dread with drama, much like the surprisingly emotional second season of Netflix's Haunted Hotel.
For now, mark your calendars. Flanagan is about to show us what happens when a detective's worst case turns out to be a case of possession. And if the trailer is any indication, Martyrs won't just be another exorcism movie—it'll be a Flanagan movie, through and through.
