Ellen Burstyn and Linda Blair Had Input On Where Their Character Are In The Exorcist: Believer

The Exorcist: Believer director David Gordon Green teases how the new movie brings in elements from the original Exorcist, with Linda Blair and Ellen Burstyn having input on where their characters are 50 years later. The new movie follows two girls, Katherine and Angela, who disappear for three days in the woods. Once they are found, they have no memory of their time missing and begin to exhibit disturbing behavior. Desperate for answers, Victor begins looking into possession and goes to Chris MacNeil for help.

Screen Rant spoke with Green about how The Exorcist: Believer touches on Regan’s exorcism 50 years ago. It’s clear that in the movie, Victor Fielding goes to Chris MacNeil because of her experience. This seems to indicate that Regan’s exorcism is a known phenomenon within this world to some degree, which could lead to unexpected paths for both mother and daughter.

David Gordon Green: Yeah, well, it was conversation that I had with both Ellen Burstyn and Linda Blair, just asking them questions of where their characters would have gone. I began this journey creatively, not having any idea if either of those amazingly talented actresses would have any involvement in what we’re doing.

I reached to them as friendship and kind of creative inspiration for where I might go with what happened in Georgetown, and then the evolution 50 years later. And so as their trust of me and our creative team started to fall into place, then we just started to explore what felt meaningful, not gimmicky, and not just genre tropes, but felt like this is a personal exploration that they as human beings on this earth could relate to.

How The Exorcist: Believer Can Address The Trauma Of The Original Exorcist

Giving the actresses who brought these characters to life agency in how their lives turned out is not only admirable; it likely makes their arc stronger. Chris MacNeil has obviously found some level of fame in this world based on what happened to her daughter, which begs the question, What happened to Regan? While her mother may be seen as someone who can help parents experiencing these same horrors, Regan likely saw the darker side of this fame as the person who was possessed by a demon.

The Exorcist: Believer has an opportunity to bring a new story to life while revisiting the original. This movie could explore the ramifications of Regan and Chris MacNeil’s trauma. Chris MacNeil may deal with it by helping people who are in similar situations as she is. A key difference between the mother and daughter is that Chris remembers everything, while Regan seems to have no memory of her time being possessed at the end of the movie.

The question of how their relationship was forever changed by this trauma may come up as well, especially if Chris MacNeil herself brought the spotlight onto them. Regan likely doesn’t want constant reminders of this horrible experience, while Chris may be stuck at that moment because of the horrors she saw and experienced. The Exorcist: Believer comes at the perfect time, with the fiftieth anniversary of The Exorcist opening the door to revisiting these famous characters and seeing the long-term effects these events had on their lives.