THE EXORCISM Trailer (2024) Russell Crowe

21 days ago
81

THE EXORCISM Trailer (2024) Russell Crowe

THE EXORCISM Trailer (2024) Russell Crowe, Sam Worthington
© 2024 - Vertical

Vertical has released the first trailer for its upcoming supernatural horror film “The Exorcism,” starring Russell Crowe and Ryan Simpkins.

According to the official logline, “The Exorcism” follows Crowe as “Anthony Miller, a troubled actor who begins to unravel while shooting a supernatural horror film. His estranged daughter, Lee (Simpkins), wonders if he’s slipping back into his past addictions or if there’s something more sinister at play.”

Additional cast members include Sam Worthington (“Avatar: The Way of Water”), Chloe Bailey (“Praise This”), Adam Goldberg (“The Equalizer”), David Hyde Pierce (“Frasier”), Adrian Pasdar (“Near Dark”), Tracey Bonner (“The Beanie Bubble”) and Josh Warren (“Footloose”).

Joshua John Miller serves as director and co-wrote the script with his partner M.A. Fortin. “The Exorcism” marks Miller and Fortin’s second feature, after the 2015 horror comedy “The Final Girls.” They also created the USA Network drama series “Queen of the South.” Producers of “The Exorcism” include Kevin Williamson, Ben Fast and Bill Block.

Popular on Variety
Crowe continues his streak of horror films after starring in “The Pope’s Exorcist” in 2023 and “Sleeping Dogs” earlier this year. Simpkin is no stranger to the horror genre herself, starring in all three parts of Netflix’s “Fear Street” trilogy, as well as several horror films in the mid-2010s such as “Twixt,” “Hangman” and “Anguish.” Worthington, known best for his work as Jake Sully in the “Avatar” franchise, makes his horror debut with his role as Joe in “The Exorcism.”

“The Exorcism” comes to theaters June 21. Watch the trailer below.
The power of Russell Crowe compels you to watch his new trailer.

The official trailer is out for The Exorcism, starring Crowe, which will have an wide release in theaters on Friday, June 21st.

Directed by Joshua John Miller, The Exorcism follows Anthony Miller (Crowe), a troubled actor who begins to unravel while shooting a supernatural horror film. His estranged daughter (Ryan Simpkins) wonders if he’s slipping back into his past addictions, or if there’s something more sinister at play.

The film also stars Sam Worthington, Chloe Bailey, Adam Goldberg and David Hyde Pierce.

The film is Crowe’s second in the exorcism subgenre in just two years, on the heels of Sony’s The Pope’s Exorcist, which grossed nearly $77 million worldwide.

From Miramax, producer Kevin Williamson and Outerbanks Entertainment, the film is written by Miller and M.A. Fortin, the creators of the hit series Queen of the South and the writers and producers of The Final Girls.

Miramax, Kevin Williamson, Ben Fast and Bill Block produced alongside EPs Padraic McKinley, Scott Putman, Andrew Golov and Thom Zadra.

Matt Grobar contributed to this report.
“Can he be saved?” Vertical has revealed the official trailer for a horror thriller film titled The Exorcism, starring Russell Crowe – though it’s not related to his other exorcism film The Pope’s Exorcist from last year. This was originally titled The Georgetown Project, but they gave it this new title that will confuse people into thinking it’s related to the classic The Exorcist. Though it sort of is. This film is made by Joshua John Miller, son of actor Jason Miller, who played the doomed Father Karras in the original Exorcist film. It’s inspired by his experiences growing up knowing his dad played that role. A troubled actor begins to unravel while shooting a horror film. His estranged daughter wonders if he’s slipping back into his past addictions or if there’s something more sinister at play. Also starring Ryan Simpkins, Sam Worthington, Chloe Bailey, Adam Goldberg, Samantha Mathis, & David Hyde Pierce. This is a pretty cool meta concept, a film-within-a-film horror about an actor being possessed. This trailer has some seriously scary moments…

Here’s the official trailer (+ two posters) for Joshua John Miller’s The Exorcism, direct from YouTube:

“The origins of the film stem from my childhood spent watching my father, Jason Miller, playing the doomed Father Karras flinging himself out a window at the climax of The Exorcist. If that wasn’t haunting enough on its own, my dad never shied away from telling me stories of just how “cursed” the movie was: the mysterious fires that plagued the production, the strange deaths, the lifelong injuries— the list went on and on. The lore of any ‘cursed film’ has captivated me ever since.

“With The Exorcism, we wanted to update the possession movie formula (‘Heroic man rescues woman from forces she’s too weak and simple to battle herself!’) for a world where no one group owns goodness and decency over another. We were gifted with an extraordinary cast & creative team to tell a story about how we’re all vulnerable to darkness, to perpetuating it, if we fail to face our demons. The devil may retaliate, but what other choice do we have?” –Director Joshua John Miller

The Exorcism Poster

The Exorcism Poster

Academy Award-winner Russell Crowe stars as Anthony Miller, a troubled actor who begins to unravel while shooting a supernatural horror film. His estranged daughter, Lee (Ryan Simpkins), wonders if he’s slipping back into his past addictions or if there’s something more sinister at play. “The origins of the film stem from my childhood spent watching my own father, Jason Miller, playing the doomed Father Karras flinging himself out a window at the climax of The Exorcist,” the director explains. The Exorcism, formerly known as The Georgetown Project or Unhinged, is directed by American actor / writer / filmmaker Joshua John Miller, director of the film The Mao Game previously, and creator of the “Queen of the South” series. The screenplay is written by M.A. Fortin & Joshua John Miller. Produced by Kevin Williamson, Ben Fast, Bill Block. Vertical will release The Exorcism in theaters starting June 7th, 2024 this summer. Who’s in?
The Exorcism trailer hints at a complex father-daughter dynamic within a horror film plot.
The film references iconic horror movies like The Omen and The Exorcist for added intrigue.
Positive audience reception of Crowe's previous horror film may boost The Exorcism's success.
A trailer has been released for The Exorcism. The Exorcism is an upcoming horror film that tells the story of a troubled actor who begins to see his sanity unravel when he starts production on a horror film. Directed by Joshua John Miller, the film features a leading cast including Russell Crowe, Chloe Bailey, Sam Worthington, Samantha Mathis, and Adam Goldberg.

Now, Vertical has released a trailer for The Exorcism.

The trailer begins by establishing Crowe’s character, Anthony Miller, saying “forgive me father, for I have sinned.” It is then established that Anthony is working on a horror movie, replacing another actor who had a tragedy happen. As the character goes on to work on the film, the trailer then goes into detail about the relationship between the protagonist and his daughter, who fears that her dad may be hallucinating things. She discovers that he is off his medication and is acting strangely.

How Will The Exorcism Fare In Theaters?
Crowe Recently Starred In Another Exorcism Based Movie
Russell Crowe in The Exorcism yelling and looking concerned
The Exorcism trailer seems like an interesting entry into the religious trauma-informed horror subgenre. The duality of the meaning of “father” — to mean a dad or an authority in the church — is ripe throughout the trailer. Anthony Miller and his daughter represent a literal father-daughter relationship, while both of their involvement in the church shows a spiritual “father.” Another interesting aspect to the trailer is the reference to the horror films The Omen and The Exorcist, which are notorious for having creepy things happen to actors while on set.

The Exorcism will likely gain more traction because of another recent Crowe-featuring horror film, The Pope’s Exorcist. Despite the similar titles for the films, The Exorcism and The Pope’s Exorcist do not have related storylines or shared characters. The Pope’s Exorcist received mixed reviews from critics, getting a 50% at the time of its release. However, it was loved by audiences, who approved it at 81% and gave it love when it hit streaming. Even though a separate story, the positive association with Crowe as a horror lead will likely help The Exorcism at the box office this June.

Russell Crowe as Father Amorth in The Pope's Exorcist, next to a possessed character from the film.
RELATED
Is The Pope's Exorcist Worth Watching? Reviews & Where To Stream
The Pope's Exorcist reviews are in and there is much to be said about Russell Crowe's priest who faces a devilish foe hiding secrets about the church.

The Pope's Exorcist is currently available to stream on Netflix.

One thing that could slow the box office traction of The Exorcism is its concurrent release with the supernatural horror film The Watchers. The Watchers stars Dakota Fanning and is the directorial feature debut from M. Night Shyamalan’s daughter, Ishana Shyamalan. The two movies will both be released theatrically on June 7, posing a challenge for The Exorcism. The answer as to who will come out on top at the box office has to wait until then, but for now, The Exorcism’s trailer can work to build its excitement.
EXCLUSIVE: Vertical has acquired North American rights from Miramax to the horror film The Exorcism (fka The Georgetown Project), starring Academy Award winner Russell Crowe, slating it for an exclusive theatrical release beginning June 7, with Shudder picking up pay 1 rights.

Directed by Joshua John Miller, The Exorcism follows Anthony Miller (Crowe), a troubled actor who begins to unravel while shooting a supernatural horror film. His estranged daughter (Ryan Simpkins) wonders if he’s slipping back into his past addictions or if there’s something more sinister at play.

Related Stories
Dancer-choreographer Loïe Fuller
Film Movement Becomes ‘Obsessed With Light,’ Acquires Doc About “Wildly Original Performer” Loïe Fuller
Invasion
Well Go USA Takes North America For Dutch Action Thriller ‘Invasion’
Remarkably, the film is Crowe’s second in the exorcism subgenre in just two years, on the heels of Sony’s The Pope’s Exorcist, which grossed nearly $77 million worldwide.

From Miramax, producer Kevin Williamson and Outerbanks Entertainment, the film is written by Miller and M.A. Fortin, the creators of the hit series Queen of the South and the writers and producers of The Final Girls. Additional cast includes Sam Worthington (Avatar: The Way of Water), Chloe Bailey (Praise This), Adam Goldberg (The Equalizer) and David Hyde Pierce (Frasier).

Miramax, Kevin Williamson, Ben Fast and Bill Block produced alongside EPs Padraic McKinley, Scott Putman, Andrew Golov and Thom Zadra.

Said filmmakers Miller and Fortin in a statement to Deadline, “Vertical has been a great partner in helping us complete and realize our vision for this story. Their level of enthusiasm and support are rare to find.”

Added Vertical Partner Peter Jarowey, “Joshua has a profound expertise in this genre, and we applaud his creation of a film that reverently nods to classic horror while adding a fresh twist. We want to thank everyone at Miramax for their partnership and are looking forward to bringing the film to theatres nationwide this summer.”

Jarowey and Senior Vice President of Acquisitions Tony Piantedosi negotiated the deal on behalf of Vertical, with CAA Media Finance negotiating on behalf of the filmmakers.

Loading comments...