Russell Crowe Offers First Pope's Exorcist 2 Status Update In 2 Years (Exclusive)

EXCLUSIVE: Russell Crowe shares a new update on the long-awaited The Pope's Exorcist 2.

Hitting theaters in 2023 and directed by Julius Avery, the original film sees Crowe taking on the role of Father Gabriele Amorth, the Vatican's leading exorcist, as he investigates the possession of an American boy in Spain. The horror movie was a hit, leading to confirming that The Pope's Exorcist 2 is in development, but there have been few updates on the project in recent years.

In an interview with ScreenRant's Ash Crossan for Unabomber, Crowe comments on The Pope's Exorcist sequel, revealing that he remains interested in reprising the role for another film. The answer comes as part of a broader comment on his view of sequels, with Crowe having still never done a follow-up to one of his movies. Check out his comment below:

It definitely was conscious for the first 20 or 30 years because I grew up in an era where a sequel was always a really bad version of the first one, where the same thoughts and processes and love and focus and attention hadn’t been paid. They were just looking at it as a financial situation: “The brand is out there. There’s an audience for it. Make another one.” So it was always negative, but that’s since changed dramatically, where some of the sequels have gone on to be iconic or legendary over and above the original film. So, yeah, I’m not as closed to it now as I was. There are certain characters where I’ve been approached about a sequel, like Gabriele Amorth in The Pope’s Exorcist. They want to do another one of those, and that’s such a rich character who wrote 12 books about his experiences, and we’ve only just scratched the surface. So that would be interesting to do.

Unfortunately, Crowe's comment doesn't suggest The Pope's Exorcist 2 is much closer to actually becoming a reality. The sequel was first revealed to be in development in spring 2023, but updates have been mixed since then, and it remains unclear whether Avery will return as director.

In May 2024, Crowe revealed that there were originally plans to make a trilogy, but that these plans hit a roadblock when there was a change of executives at Screen Gems and Sony. Later that month, a social media post from producer Jeff Katz confirmed the sequel had a green light. Other than Crowe's most recent comment, however, it's been essentially radio silence since then.

Crowe remaining interested in reprising his role as Amorth is notable, though. If the Gladiator star is still game, other pieces could fall into place regarding casting and production, and it remains possible that The Pope's Exorcist 2 moves forward in the coming months, especially given the first film's success.

Made on an estimated production budget of $18 million, the original grossed $77 million worldwide, comprising $20 million domestically and $56 million internationally. Critically, The Pope's Exorcist was more of a mixed bag. On Rotten Tomatoes, it has a lackluster 50% critics score, but the Popcornmeter is higher at 80%. Though reviews varied, Crowe's performance was a common point of praise, even if the rest of the film caught flak for feeling like a fairly standard possession horror movie.

If The Pope's Exorcist 2 does ever move forward, there is no shortage of source material to pull from. The first film was an adaptation of the real-life case files and memoirs of Father Gabriele Amorth, the chief exorcist at the Vatican. As Crowe explains, there remain plenty of books and stories still to adapt.

It remains to be seen whether The Pope's Exorcist 2 will actually move forward, but Crowe's continued interest in the character is a promising sign. If the film ever does move forward, it will evidently be a big moment for Crowe, as it will mark his first ever sequel.