Scarlett Johansson’s The Exorcist Gets Candid Reaction From OG Star

Published Oct 25, 2026, 10:12 AM EDT

Ryan Northrup is a Senior Staff Writer on ScreenRant's Movie & TV News team, where he has authored nearly 5,000 articles, including features and reviews. A graduate of McMaster University, Ryan began his career in public relations before attending Vancouver Film School. There, he built lasting industry connections and optioned a feature film screenplay.

Ellen Burstyn gets candid about The Exorcist: Martyrs.

William Friedkin's iconic original Exorcist movie dates back to 1973, with Ellen Burstyn playing a leading role as Chris MacNeil, the mother of a young girl who becomes possessed by the ancient demon Pazuzu. After five follow-up movies of varying quality and degrees of success, Mike Flanagan is now set to put his mark on the franchise with the upcoming The Exorcist: Martyrs starring Scarlett Johansson.

In a recent interview with Variety, Burstyn, 93, isn't bursting with enthusiasm about The Exorcist: Martyrs, suggesting that the franchise has run its course. “Isn’t there enough already of the ‘Exorcist’ thing?” she says. “It’s enough already.”

The original Exorcist became a sensation, but Burstyn wasn't involved in any of the immediate sequels. The actor ended making her long-awaited return to the franchise as her original character in 2023's The Exorcist: Believer. Despite its connection to the original film and plenty of optimism from Blumhouse and Universal Pictures, who purchased the rights to the Exorcist franchise in 2021 for a reported $400 million, Believer was a major flop.

Exorcist: Believer reviews were overwhelmingly negative from critics and the film, which was directed by David Gordon Green, was a dismal performer at the box office, grossing just $136 million. Plans for Green's Exorcist trilogy were subsequently scrapped, with Flanagan then being brought on board for a fresh approach.

Martyrs abandons the story set up in Believer, instead following Johansson's rookie detective, Julie Miller, as she confronts a terrifying darkness that challenges her deepest beliefs. The film stars a number of frequent Flanagan collaborators, including Samantha Sloyan, Rahul Kohli, Kate Siegel, Hamish Linklater, Carla Gugino, and Robert Longstreet. Laurence Fishburne, Sasha Calle, Scoot McNairy, Diane Lane, John Gallagher Jr., John Leguizamo, and Chiwetel Ejiofor also star.

Though Martyrs features an impressive cast, and Johansson is one of Hollywood's biggest movie stars, it remains unclear how much audience appetite there is for more Exorcist after Believer. Flanagan, however, has proven himself one of the most notable names in the world of horror in recent years, releasing TV shows like The Haunting of Hill House (2018), Midnight Mass (2021), The Fall of the House of Usher (2023), and, most recently, his take on Stephen King's Carrie.

Still, 2026 has suggested that audiences are craving new, original ideas and voices in horror. Obsession remains one of the biggest hits of the year, earning rave reviews and grossing $522 million worldwide on a budget less than $1 million. Backrooms, too, turned a viral creepypasta into a theatrical win for A24.

In recent years, classic horror franchises like Halloween and Scream seem to be losing steam, and Exorcist firmly falls into this category. Whether Flanagan can revitalize the saga with The Exorcist: Martyrs remains to be seen, but Burstyn, for her part, evidently thinks it might be time to retire this classic horror property.