The Exorcist: Believers | Director explains absence of Linda Blair as Regan – The USA Print

The Exorcist – 87% is one of those films that, at first glance, seems untouchable despite its sequels, and the original formed a whole generation of spectators and creators who admire it but would not dare to develop another product with it. Of course, this status is only appearance, since David Gordon Green has decided to repeat his Halloween formula: 92% with this film to mount a direct sequel entitled The Exorcist: Believers which will launch a new saga. Fans are not happy at all, especially because Linda Blair is not involved and now the director is explaining what happened to the actress and what her absence means for his projects.

Continue reading: The Exorcist: Believer, sequel to the horror classic, failed at its first test screening

The Exorcist It is based on a novel purporting to tell the true story of a child possessed by a demon. To have a greater impact as a film, some changes were made to the narrative, such as the fact that the victim in question is a girl and that her family environment is completely different. Along the same lines, the plot served to pose a problem of faith for the priests, who are the real protagonists of the story. These changes proved to be the best option, as the film generated such an impact that it forever changed the horror genre and laid the foundation for possession stories on the big screen.

Linda Blair was marked by “The Exorcist”

The work of Ellen Burstyn and Jason Miller has been praised by critics, but the real surprise for specialists and the public was the presence of Linda Blair, because despite his age, he achieved something unprecedented. At the time, many judged her participation in the film due to the themes covered and the explicit nature of certain scenes which did not seem appropriate for the young age of the actress. Beyond that, the fame that Blair found thanks to this title marked her in various ways, not all of them positive.

Linda Blair She appreciated the success of the film and what it brought to her career, but over time she also recognized that there were some negative notes about it, from the cumbersomeness of filming under William’s direction Friedkin on being typecast in Hollywood. Although the performer eventually returned for the sequel and learned over the years to make fun of her character, she actually spent more time trying to distance herself from the franchise, which was possible thanks to the production company that has found new ways to continue with the franchise. saga. cinematographic and even with a series entitled The Exorcist – 78% which went unnoticed by many.

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After the success of Halloweena late, straightforward sequel that served to throw an entire franchise out the window to form a new one, Blumhouse blindly trusted David Gordon Green when he proposed doing something similar with The Exorcist. Of course, the trend has dictated the clear return of Linda Blair as happened with Jamie Lee Curtis, but his participation was never confirmed. A few years ago the actress assured that she had not received a call to return to the role of Regan, and although a few months ago several insiders stated that she would be part of the cast , nothing has really been confirmed.

Will Linda Blair be in ‘The Exorcist: Believers’?

In interview with Total Cinema Magazine (via Future), the director confirmed Blair’s absence and explained how the actress approached the production, but from a different angle:

She came on set because she was a consultant on the film. I was lucky enough to have her read the script, but she wasn’t interested in a major role or playing it again. We hired her as a counselor because we deal with young people and want to take them safely to dangerous places.

Blair hasn’t said anything about it, but it’s possible that the role wasn’t what she expected or that she simply preferred to remain a spectator on this occasion. What’s interesting is that the actress got involved to help Olivia Marcum and Lidya Jewett, the protagonist girls of The Exorcist: the believersand Blair herself had no such support for everything she had to do and face on the set of the original film.

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