The Exorcist: Believer 2 Regan Return Gets Cautious Update From Linda Blair

Warning: SPOILERS lie ahead for The Exorcist: Believer!

After making her franchise return in the legacy sequel, Linda Blair offers a cautious update on her potential The Exorcist: Deceiver return. Blair first rose to stardom with her role as the young possessed girl Regan MacNeil in the original Exorcist movie, initially returning for its immediate sequel, The Heretic, while also going on to star in a variety of big screen and made-for-TV movies. 2023’s The Exorcist: Believer acted primarily as a direct sequel to the first two movies, with Ellen Burstyn reprising her role as Regan’s mother Chris, while Blair made a surprise cameo in its closing moments, and is the planned start of a trilogy.

During an exclusive interview with Screen Rant to discuss the Linda Blair Worldheart Foundation, her animal rescue organization, Blair was asked her thoughts on reprising Regan once again for the in-development The Exorcist: Deceiver. Though acknowledging that she’s not aware of what co-writer/director David Gordon Green’s plans are for the character or planned trilogy, the star was cautious in her thoughts about returning, explaining that her focus is currently on the animal crisis her organization is working towards fixing and doesn’t want to take on big acting roles until improvements are made. See what Blair explained below:

I don’t know what they’re gonna do. I really don’t. And that’s not a gag. Right this very second — we all had to get through the strike, and to understand what was going to be the future. I created a show for the dogs that is an athletic game, so I know that it will be an incredible, incredible show. I am trying to shop it. That’s where my heart is right now. And then, I’m looking to expand and move the Foundation and make it more available to the public. My history lies with the animals, so I have a lot of things, my dreams of what I want to do, which should never change, it’s all animal-based. I had scripts at all the studios — not all, but many studios — a lot of good projects prior to buying this property.

And what I found was I could not do film and run the foundation at the same time. It is very difficult to find people that really understand animal welfare, and can’t get through the PTSD that is constant. This is a hard business, because it’s actual life. So I kind of know that I want to continue this, I need to fix the problem, but I need the public to help.

This must happen, it’s become too political, and that’s got to stop. So, while I fight this, I don’t know what they’re gonna do. I just know my time is not exactly available for film at the moment. And that’s the honesty of it. If we fix this animal problem, I’ll go back to work. But nobody seems to want to fix the animal problems, so I won’t go back to work until this is fixed.

Should Regan Return For The Exorcist Sequels?

Blair’s potential return in The Exorcist: Believer was one of the most-discussed topics leading up to the sequel’s release, especially when it was announced Burstyn would appear, despite turning down The Heretic and having an infamous experience filming the original. Prior to its release, Green confirmed that Blair had been involved as a “technical advisor” for Believer, working with Lidya Jewett and Olivia O’Neill on the nature of possession acting and giving them advice on how to navigate the publicity to come from their roles. It wasn’t until audiences finally saw the movie that it was confirmed she made a cameo as Regan having an emotional reunion with her mother following her attack.

Though she may technically be back in the fold of the story, the question now becomes whether The Exorcist: Deceiver and its untitled sequel should continue to see Regan involved. The 2023 movie already left it somewhat unclear how its follow-up will continue the story, with Jewett’s Angela surviving her possession while O’Neill’s Katherine was dragged to Hell by the new demon Lamashtu. Deceiver could take a similar approach to The Heretic in exploring whether the former is still suffering from any lingering connections to the demon, or try and find a way to save Katherine’s soul by tricking Lamashtu into releasing her and letting her go to Heaven.

Whichever path the movie takes, it does seem the need for Regan to return in The Exorcist: Deceiver is very minimal. She and Chris saw a very heartwarming reunion in Believer‘s ending, with the two reconciling their past as Chris continues to recover from her eyes being stabbed by a possessed Katherine. Though the two could be a main connecting thread across the trilogy alongside Lamashtu, their combined traumatic pasts seem like it would be better for them to move on from the world of the demonic and instead enjoy their newfound happiness with one another.