Actor Diane Lane, known for her performances in films like The Outsiders (1983), The Perfect Storm (2000), Under the Tuscan Sun (2003) and series like Feud: Capote vs. The Swans, is the latest to join the cast of the new Exorcist film from Mike Flanagan, which had recently locked a March 12, 2027 release date. She will be starring alongside Scarlett Johansson and Jacobi Jupe in the upcoming installment of the iconic horror franchise.
As reported earlier, the new film will be a standalone story unfolding within the broader Exorcist universe and will not be tied to any of the previous Exorcist films. Mike Flanagan, known for Doctor Sleep, Gerald’s Game, and acclaimed series like Midnight Mass and The Haunting of Hill House, has written the script and will direct and produce through his banner, Red Room Pictures for Universal and Blumhouse-Atomic Monster.
The 1973 original, adapted from William Peter Blatty’s novel, told the now-legendary tale of a girl’s demonic possession and the priests who attempt to save her. It earned 10 Oscar nominations and became a landmark in horror cinema. Later films explored offshoots of that story, delving into the characters’ pasts and other linked cases. While plot details for Mike Flanagan's version of The Exorcist have not been revealed yet, it is described as a "radical new take" on the franchise.
The production for the film is currently ongoing in New York City. Alexandra Magistro and Ryan Turek serve as executive producers on the film, which marks the fourth time Flanagan has teamed up with Blumhouse.
An Academy Award nominee with multiple Emmy and Golden Globe nominations to her credit, Lane most recently headlined Jan Komasa’s well-received thriller Anniversary, co-starring Phoebe Dynevor and Kyle Chandler. Before that, she appeared in Ryan Murphy’s Feud: Capote vs. The Swans alongside Naomi Watts, Demi Moore and Tom Hollander. Her recent work also includes a role opposite Jeff Daniels in the David E. Kelley–backed Netflix limited series A Man in Full, and a part in Disney’s Inside Out 2 where she voiced Riley's mom.