‘The Exorcist: Believer’ Trailer Sees Ellen Burstyn Return to Save Two Demonic Girls

Fifty years after the 1973 original classic 'The Exorcist,' Ellen Burstyn reprises her role alongside a cast that includes Leslie Odom Jr., Ann Dowd and Jennifer Nettles

The Exorcist franchise is back — 50 years after the original classic.

On Tuesday, the first trailer for the upcoming Exorcist sequel, The Exorcist: Believer, debuted, showing Ellen Burstyn — who starred as Chris MacNeil in the 1973 original, which earned her an Oscar nomination — reprising her role. Directed by Halloween Ends director David Gordon Green, the new movie also stars Leslie Odom Jr., Ann Dowd and Jennifer Nettles.

"Since the death of his pregnant wife in a Haitian earthquake 12 years ago, Victor Fielding (Odom, Jr.) has raised their daughter, Angela on his own," reads an official synopsis.

"But when Angela and her friend Katherine (newcomer Olivia Marcum), disappear in the woods, only to return three days later with no memory of what happened to them, it unleashes a chain of events that will force Victor to confront the nadir of evil and, in his terror and desperation, seek out the only person alive who has witnessed anything like it before."

Last August, producer Jason Blum teased the project, telling Deadline, "I'm really excited about The Exorcist. The first person I approached when we picked up the film was David Gordon Green. I thought what David did with Halloween was great and I think he really found a great balance of respecting the original intellectual property, but also bringing something new to it. So it didn't feel like a retread."

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"So I was really happy when he wanted to do The Exorcist and we're starting production really soon. We're already setting up a framework and thinking about a trilogy," he added at the time. "We also have a great cast."

Burstyn, 90, told The Hollywood Reporter that same month why she finally agreed to return to the horror franchise after previously turning down sizable offers.

"What happened was I've turned down many versions of The Exorcist 2. I've said no every time. This time they offered me a whole bunch of money and I still said no," she said. "And then they surprised me and they came back and said, 'We doubled the offer.' I said, 'Okay, let me think about this.' I thought, 'That's a lot of money. Let me think about it.' The next thought that came to mind was: 'I feel like the devil is asking my price.' "

"And the next thought that came to mind was, 'My price is a scholarship program for talented students at our master's degree program at Pace University. That's my price.' So I then went back and upped their up and ended up getting what I want," added Burstyn. "And I've got a scholarship program for young actors. Isn't that great?"

Linda Blair, who earned an Oscar nomination as a teen for her performance as the possessed Regan MacNeil in the original film, tweeted in 2021 that she was not planning on being in the new movie.

"To all my fans asking about my involvement in the new Exorcist reboot, as of now there has not been any discussion about me participating or reprising my role," the actress, now 64, wrote at the time. "I wish all those involved the best and I appreciate the loyalty and passion the fans have for The Exorcist and my character."

The Exorcist: Believer opens in theaters Oct. 12.

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