By Travis Johnson
Adding to their slate of classic movies being turned into TV series, Fox brings us our first look at The Exorcist, developed from the classic William Friedkin horror film, which in turn sprang from William Peter Blatty’s novel. Both the book and the first film (the second is wretched, the third quite decent) are absolute classics, so the odds of this effort being even remotely comparable are pretty long, but that doesn’t mean it can’t stand on its own merits.
According to the release, “Widely regarded as the greatest horror movie ever made, The Exorcist broke box office records and terrified audiences around the world. Now, more than four decades after the Academy Award-nominated film, The Exorcist returns as a TV series.
“Directed by Rupert Wyatt (Rise of the Planet of the Apes), The Exorcist is a propulsive psychological thriller following two very different priests tackling one family’s case of horrifying demonic possession. Father Tomas Ortega (Alfonso Herrera, Sense8, The Chosen) is the new face of the Catholic Church: progressive, ambitious and compassionate. He runs a small but loyal parish in the suburbs of Chicago. He has no idea that his quiet life is about to change forever. Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, another priest finds himself locked in a life-and-death struggle with evil. Father Marcus Brennan (Ben Daniels, Flesh and Bone, House of Cards) is a modern-day Templar Knight, an orphan raised since childhood by the Vatican to wage war against its enemies. Father Marcus is everything Father Tomas is not: relentless, abrasive and utterly consumed by his sacred mission. Caught in the middle is the Rance family, members of Tomas’ parish. On the surface, they’re a normal, suburban family, but all is not as it seems in this household. The patriarch, Henry Rance (guest star Alan Ruck, Spin City, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off), is slowly but surely losing his mind. Eldest daughter Katherine (Brianne Howey, Scream Queens) has become a recluse who refuses to leave her room. Her younger sister, Casey (Hannah Kasulka, The Fosters), thinks she’s hearing strange noises coming from inside the walls. And mother Angela (Academy Award and Golden Globe winner Geena Davis, Commander in Chief, Thelma & Louise) has been plagued by recurring nightmares, each more frightening than the last. Angela believes there is something in the house, a demonic presence, growing stronger by the day. Desperate, she begs Father Tomas for help, unwittingly setting the naïve young priest on a collision course with Father Marcus. Separately, each faces an insurmountable task, but together they become the only hope against an evil force that has been mobilizing for centuries.”
That’s some solid talent in front of and behind the cameras, and they’ve reversed some of the elements of the source material in what could prove to be interesting ways – the most notable being that Davis’ character appears to be deeply religious, in contrast to Ellen Burstyn’s fairly secular protagonist from the ’73 film. It’s also going to fun to see how the series is structured; will we stick with this supporting cast, or will every season see a new case of demonic possession, with Ortega and Brennan exorcisin’ around the world? We’ll see when the series hits later in the year.
