Scarlett Johansson’s Exorcist trailer has introduced audiences to a disturbing new chapter in one of Hollywood’s most recognisable horror franchises. Universal Pictures and Blumhouse unveiled the first footage from The Exorcist: Martyrs at New York Comic Con on October 9, revealing a supernatural thriller in which a police investigation becomes entangled with a series of murders and an apparent demonic presence.
Written and directed by Mike Flanagan, the film stars Johansson as Julie Miller, a New York City homicide detective who once helped capture a notorious satanic serial killer. Thirteen years later, another murder draws her into a case that threatens to overturn everything she believes about the crimes she investigated.
The trailer introduces a film that appears closer to a psychological crime thriller than a conventional possession story. Its unsettling imagery, religious symbolism and emphasis on serial murder suggest a different approach to the franchise that began with William Friedkin’s landmark 1973 film.
Flanagan presented the footage alongside actor Chiwetel Ejiofor during Blumhouse’s Comic Con showcase. Universal also released the trailer online, allowing audiences outside the convention to see the filmmaker’s interpretation of the material.
The Exorcist: Martyrs will reach theatres on March 12, 2027.
What Scarlett Johansson’s Exorcist Trailer Reveals
The new film centres on a criminal investigation that forces Johansson’s character to revisit an earlier case.
Thirteen years before the events of the film, Detective Julie Miller helped end the killing spree of Father Sunday, a serial murderer who claimed connections to satanic forces. His capture made her a celebrated investigator, and she subsequently devoted herself to police work.
That apparent resolution begins to unravel when authorities discover the body of an altar boy inside a church crypt.
The killer leaves Miller’s name written in the victim’s blood, establishing a direct connection between the new murder and her past.
As more disturbing evidence emerges, Miller must consider whether the original investigation overlooked something far more serious than a criminal’s religious obsession.
The trailer features unsettling crime scenes, images of religious rituals and references to notorious murderers who claimed supernatural influences.
Rather than presenting possession through the familiar image of a child confronting a demonic entity, Flanagan places the possibility of supernatural evil within a homicide investigation.
That distinction gives the story a different dramatic foundation. Miller approaches the deaths as a detective accustomed to evidence and criminal behaviour, but the case gradually challenges the explanations on which her professional life depends.
The central question is not simply whether demonic possession exists. It is whether Miller can trust her understanding of a case that once defined her career.
Mike Flanagan Takes The Exorcist in a Different Direction
Flanagan has built a reputation for horror stories that examine grief, trauma, faith, and the consequences of past decisions.
His Netflix series The Haunting of Hill House, Midnight Mass and The Fall of the House of Usher combined supernatural elements with characters struggling through deeply personal conflicts.
His films, including Oculus, Gerald’s Game and Doctor Sleep, have explored similar territory.
With The Exorcist: Martyrs, Flanagan faces a different challenge: working within a franchise whose original film remains a defining achievement of American horror cinema.
During the New York Comic Con presentation, the director described the new production as the most frightening project of his career.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, he discussed his decision to combine elements of serial-killer thrillers with the religious horror traditionally associated with The Exorcist.
The approach draws on the atmosphere of crime films such as Se7en and The Silence of the Lambs, while maintaining the supernatural questions that distinguish the franchise.
Flanagan has also cited The Exorcist III, directed by William Peter Blatty, as an influence.
That film combined a murder investigation with religious horror, offering a precedent for the direction Flanagan is now pursuing.
The filmmaker has made clear that his intention is not to remake Friedkin’s original or reproduce its most recognisable scenes.
Instead, he has developed a standalone story within the same fictional universe, allowing the new film to retain the franchise’s central concerns without depending on its original characters.
Scarlett Johansson Leads a Major Ensemble Cast
Johansson’s casting marks a notable development for the franchise.
The actress has worked across independent drama, action cinema and major commercial productions, including Lost in Translation, Marriage Story, Black Widow and Jurassic World Rebirth.
Her role as Julie Miller places her in a story that depends on psychological tension rather than the physical spectacle associated with many of her blockbuster performances.
The supporting cast brings together several established performers.
Chiwetel Ejiofor plays Father William, a former prison chaplain who heard Father Sunday’s final confession and possesses information that may help Miller investigate the new killings.
Sasha Calle portrays Gina Restrepo, a younger detective who joins the investigation.
John Leguizamo plays Father Sunday, the convicted serial killer whose influence continues long after his capture.
Diane Lane appears as Mary, Miller’s mother, who helps care for her grandson Max, played by Jacobi Jupe.
Laurence Fishburne portrays Father Nichol, while Scoot McNairy and Gil Bellows also have supporting roles.
The combination of experienced dramatic actors and performers familiar with genre productions suggests a film that will place considerable emphasis on character relationships.
For Johansson, the role also offers an opportunity to portray a protagonist whose professional confidence gradually gives way to uncertainty.
Why The Exorcist Franchise Needs a New Approach
The decision to give Flanagan creative control follows a difficult period for the franchise.
Friedkin’s original The Exorcist, adapted from Blatty’s novel, became a major commercial and cultural success in 1973. Its account of a young girl’s possession and her mother’s attempts to save her transformed the possibilities of mainstream horror.
Subsequent films struggled to reproduce its impact.
More recently, Universal and Blumhouse attempted to revive the property with The Exorcist: Believer in 2023, directed by David Gordon Green.
The film brought back Ellen Burstyn as Chris MacNeil, connecting the new story directly to the original production.
Despite considerable attention surrounding its release, the film received largely negative reviews. Plans for a follow-up subsequently changed, and Green departed the project.
Flanagan’s involvement offers the studio an opportunity to reconsider the franchise’s direction.
Rather than relying principally on returning characters or recreating familiar possession sequences, the new film introduces a separate investigation involving a different group of characters.
The strategy also reflects a broader challenge facing established horror properties.
Recognisable titles can attract initial attention, but audiences increasingly expect filmmakers to contribute something beyond references to earlier successes.
Flanagan’s experience adapting existing literary works may prove relevant. His previous projects demonstrate an ability to retain established themes while developing different emotional and narrative perspectives.
Whether that approach succeeds commercially remains to be seen, but the first trailer establishes a distinct creative direction.
When Will The Exorcist: Martyrs Be Released?
Universal Pictures has scheduled The Exorcist: Martyrs for a theatrical release on March 12, 2027.
The studio released the first trailer online on October 9 following its presentation at New York Comic Con. The preview has since circulated through entertainment publications and horror-focused websites.
Flanagan wrote and directed the film, with Jason Blum and David Robinson serving as producers alongside him.
For audiences familiar with The Exorcist, the central attraction will be how the film approaches the relationship between criminal violence, religious belief and supernatural evil.
The original film portrayed possession through a family’s growing desperation and the intervention of two priests. Flanagan’s version begins with a detective confronting evidence that appears to contradict her understanding of human behaviour.
That difference could determine whether the new instalment develops an identity of its own.
The trailer provides an early indication of the filmmaker’s intentions, but it leaves the nature of the supernatural threat unresolved.
What it confirms is a substantial departure from the franchise’s recent direction, with Johansson leading a story built around an investigation, a traumatic past and crimes that may have explanations beyond the ordinary.
Audiences will discover how those elements fit together when The Exorcist: Martyrs arrives in cinemas next March.
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