Universal Pictures and Blumhouse released the first official trailer for the horror film The Exorcist: Martyrs on October 9, 2026. The film is directed by Mike Flanagan and is the seventh installment in the franchise.

  • Theatrical release date: March 12, 2027
  • Lead cast: Scarlett Johansson, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Sasha Calle, Diane Lane, John Leguizamo, and Laurence Fishburne
  • Production companies: Blumhouse, Atomic Monster, and Morgan Creek Entertainment
  • Premise: Detective Julie Miller investigates murders connected to satanic serial killer Father Sunday

Production and Creative Vision

Mike Flanagan, Jason Blum, and David Robinson serve as producers. Flanagan also wrote the screenplay.

"She’s a homicide detective with the NYPD and a single mother of a young boy named Max, who’s just turned 12 years old"

Mike Flanagan, Filmmaker

Flanagan discussed the film's position within the larger series and its relationship to the original motion picture.

"I think the first job is to tell people they’re not seeing a retread of The Exorcist"

Mike Flanagan, Filmmaker

"They’re not seeing any attempt to reboot or remake or to step into the Friedkin film. They’re actually seeing a story within the Exorcist universe that has not been told before, that is unique within the franchise and taking it in a very different direction than it’s gone in the past. That’s what I’m hoping. We’re doing something very, very different than what people might’ve expected."

Mike Flanagan, Filmmaker

Trailer Content and Plot

The preview footage features dialogue from an unnamed character within the story.

"My name is Legion... for we are many."

Unknown, Narrator / Character in Trailer

The director addressed the core expectations tied to the brand and how this entry expands the narrative scope.

"It does have that one job from the title"

Mike Flanagan, Filmmaker

"We do have to deliver that for sure. But hopefully it’s a lot more than a simple possession story. The connections to the serial-killer mystery are where it gets really fun and takes the possession out of the bedroom and out of parental torment and into something much, much bigger."

Mike Flanagan, Filmmaker