The Exorcist: Martyrs Trailer Debuts with Scarlett Johansson
The first trailer for The Exorcist: Martyrs has officially dropped, giving horror audiences their earliest look at Mike Flanagan’s long-awaited entry in the Exorcist franchise. Starring Scarlett Johansson as a detective tracking a string of murders with Satanic overtones, the film signals a deliberate course correction following the critical disappointment of 2023’s The Exorcist: Believer. Blumhouse and Universal Pictures have scheduled the movie for a theatrical release on March 12, 2027.
The trailer’s release marks the launch of a full marketing push for the project, and positions Flanagan’s film as a standalone supernatural thriller rather than a direct continuation of either William Friedkin’s 1973 original or the trilogy that David Gordon Green was previously developing.
Mike Flanagan Brings His Voice to the Franchise
Mike Flanagan, the filmmaker behind The Haunting of Hill House, Doctor Sleep, and Gerald’s Game, has taken the reins on a property that has struggled to match the impact of Friedkin’s groundbreaking original. The Exorcist: Martyrs follows Flanagan’s recent TV adaptation of Carrie and stands as his most ambitious feature assignment since his Stephen King collaborations.
Rather than attempting another beat-for-beat reimagining of the first film, Flanagan appears to be steering the franchise into uncharted narrative territory. Early reactions to the footage suggest a procedural horror hybrid that blends crime investigation with supernatural dread, leaning into a structure more commonly associated with serial-killer thrillers than with possession dramas.
Scarlett Johansson Anchors a Star-Loaded Ensemble
Johansson headlines the film as a cop tasked with investigating serial killings that appear linked to demonic possession. The premise reportedly explores a through-line suggesting that the world’s most notorious serial killers may have been influenced or controlled by otherworldly forces — a conceit that, while high-concept, fits comfortably within Flanagan’s interest in grief, faith, and unseen dimensions.
Surrounding Johansson is a cast that doubles down on Flanagan’s reputation for working with trusted collaborators while expanding into major A-list territory. Confirmed co-stars include:
- Chiwetel Ejiofor
- Sasha Calle
- John Leguizamo
- Diane Lane
- Laurence Fishburne
- Carla Gugino
- Hamish Linklater
- Carl Lumbly
The presence of Gugino, Linklater, and Carl Lumbly — all veterans of Flanagan’s Netflix horror cycle — confirms the filmmaker’s habit of building creative family ensembles around his projects, even when stepping into an established studio franchise.
A Clear Nod to The Exorcist III
The new film takes direct inspiration from The Exorcist III, the 1990 sequel that remains the franchise’s most underrated entry. That film was directed by William Peter Blatty, the author of the original Exorcist novel, who adapted his own book Legion. Its story follows Lieutenant Kinderman, the detective from the first film, as he investigates a string of murders bearing the hallmarks of the Gemini Killer — a serial murderer who had already been executed for his crimes, making the killings seemingly impossible.
By relocating the supernatural action from a suburban household into a criminal investigation, Flanagan appears to be channeling the same blend of police procedural and occult horror that made Exorcist III a cult favorite decades later. The structural parallels — a lone detective, an impossibly prolific killer, and an otherworldly explanation behind earthly crimes — are unmistakable in the trailer footage.
For longtime fans who have long argued that Exorcist III is the only genuinely worthy sequel in the franchise, Flanagan’s tonal choice may prove to be the most exciting element of the entire project.
Picking Up the Pieces After Believer
The Exorcist: Believer, directed by David Gordon Green and released in October 2023, was originally intended as the launchpad for a new trilogy from Blumhouse and Universal Pictures. While the film avoided outright commercial disaster, reviews were largely hostile, and the planned continuation was shelved before cameras could roll on a second installment. Producers pivoted, bringing Flanagan aboard to reset the franchise’s creative direction.
Martyrs is the product of that reset. Its investigation-driven premise represents a marked tonal shift away from the possession-focused template that Believer attempted to revive, and positions the new film as something closer to a standalone supernatural thriller than a sequel to any prior entry. The decision to emphasize a detective protagonist rather than a family or clergy figure underscores how thoroughly the franchise’s identity is being reimagined.
Release Date and What to Expect
The Exorcist: Martyrs opens in theaters on March 12, 2027. Universal Pictures’ choice of a March release window is notable — the studio has historically used the early spring corridor for mid-budget horror with breakout potential, similar to slots used for The Omen (2006) and other faith-based or supernatural thrillers.
The trailer hints at several tonal and narrative elements that fans should watch for:
- A central detective character with a personal stake in the case
- Crime scene imagery laced with religious iconography
- Conversations about demonic possession framed as a historical pattern
- A more muted, dread-driven visual palette than typical franchise horror
No official MPAA rating has been announced at the time of writing, and additional plot details remain tightly under wraps.
At a Glance
- Title: The Exorcist: Martyrs
- Director: Mike Flanagan
- Lead: Scarlett Johansson (as a detective)
- Release date: March 12, 2027
- Distributor: Universal Pictures
- Production company: Blumhouse
- Confirmed inspiration: The Exorcist III (1990)
- Notable cast additions: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Sasha Calle, John Leguizamo, Diane Lane, Laurence Fishburne
- Returning Flanagan regulars: Carla Gugino, Hamish Linklater, Carl Lumbly
- Context: First new Exorcist feature since the critically panned The Exorcist: Believer (2023)
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