The Exorcist: Martyrs Teaser: Scarlett Johansson Battles Evil in Mike Flanagan’s Horror Reboot

Mike Flanagan's The Exorcist: Martyrs has dropped its first look and a teaser The reboot features an ensemble cast led by Scarlett Johansson, alongside Chiwetel Ejiofor, Diane Lane, Noah Jupe, Laurence Fishburne, Sasha Calle, John Leguizamo, and Carla Gugino. Michael Fimognari serves as the director of photography. He has shot seven of Mike Flanagan’s nine feature films. Universal Pictures is behind the new Exorcist movie.

Johansson stars as Julie Miller, an NYPD homicide detective and single mother raising her 12-year-old son, Max (Noah Jupe). When Julie’s demanding cases keep her away from home, her mother, Mary (Diane Lane), steps in to look after Max. At the beginning of the film, Julie captures a serial killer known as “Father Sunday” (John Leguizamo), who recreates the martyrdoms of Catholic saints in his murders in an attempt to undermine the faith of believers. Julie later witnesses his execution, but the event takes an unexpected turn. Even after his death, the murders persist, and the sinister threat eventually reaches Julie’s own family, putting both her mother and son in peril.

Sasha Calle plays Gina Restrepo, Julie’s fellow homicide detective. Chiwetel Ejiofor portrays Father William, a prison chaplain who presided over Father Sunday’s execution and has struggled with a crisis of faith ever since. Laurence Fishburne plays a priest with knowledge of ancient rituals, who becomes involved when the supernatural threat begins to target Julie and her family directly.

Mike Flanagan Teases The Exorcist: Martyrs

“I think the first job is to tell people they’re not seeing a retread of The Exorcist,” Flanagan said. “They’re not seeing any attempt to reboot or remake or to step into the Friedkin film. They’re actually seeing a story within the Exorcist universe that has not been told before, that is unique within the franchise and taking it in a very different direction than it’s gone in the past. That’s what I’m hoping. We’re doing something very, very different than what people might’ve expected.”

The film is slated for a March 12 release in theatres. The Exorcist: Martyrs teaser arrives in advance of the trailer for the film that is set to be out on October 09, Friday. Flanagan's latest project also includes the horror series Carrie, which is now out on Prime Video.