[Justin]

Sean Durkin, the writer-director of last year’s excellent but criminally underseen Elizabeth Olsen thriller Martha Marcy May Marlene, is adapting the fiendish classic into a ten-episode television series, this time backed by Morgan Creek and produced by Roy Lee, the executive producer of films like The Departed and The Ring.

Unlike the iconic 1973 film, Durkin’s version of The Exorcist follows the events leading up to a demonic possession and especially the after-effects of how a family copes with it: In short, not well (really, after you start http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-4f_NMUxcY

[Jason Stringer]

Thanks for the heads-up on this one, Justin!

The moment I posted this news the negative backlash on facebook was reasonably consistent.

I'm sure there would be a lot of interest around the show when it premiered, I'm just not sure it'd actually be a quality production– certainly not anything that could match up to the film or novel, which is what everybody will be comparing it to.

[granville1]

It's a wonderful tale, but can a ten episode “stretch” really maintain the necessary shock and suspense?

Also, I hope they have actors whose skills equal those of the original film cast.

[Jason Stringer]

I agree, granville. I prefer the idea of a 2-part, 4-6 hour miniseries.

Lord have mercy if the show is somehow a success and they approve a second series. We'll have all sorts of crazy extensions and timelines going on.

Interesting side note: this is the 700th topic in The Exorcist forum. Nice timing!

[granville1]

Cappy, your idea of a two parter is far more appealing to me than the proposed schedule plan.

I also have a trepidation about who will play our beloved Damien. Miller created the perfect Karras and I don't know if modern producers/casting agents can be trusted. Hopefully it will be someone relatively unknown, and not some hunk picked up from a soap opera 😉

[Jason Stringer]

If it's announced that, say, HBO or AMC are picking this up (as unlikely as that is) my hopes might improve a little. Until then I can't help but be under a cloud of doubt for this one.

The worst part will be when they announce the cast and a 'star' is attached in a key role to help promote it. The one thing I believe The Exorcist truly needs is a 'relatively unknown' cast to ensure the candid documentary style from the novel and film remains in tact.

[granville1]

Very strongly agreed 🙂

[Gabriel]

Actually, not too worried about this news. The choice of director is interesting and choosing to expand on the events either side of the novel is arguably even more intriguing. I wonder if they can get Max Von Sydow or Stellan SkarsgÃ¥rd as Merrin…

Face it: we knew a remake was inevitable. We could have had a Platinum Dunes job, but instead we have the director of Martha, Marcy, May, Marlene and a miniseries. There’s a chance that this, as a different adaptation of the book, rather than a remake of the movie, could be really interesting. On top of that, there’s the possibility of a Legion follow up!

I have no issue with a different adaptation for a different medium. Put it this way: if we heard this was a radio series or stage play, would we be up in arms?

There’s a chance this could be good. It might be bad. Did The Shining miniseries destroy Kubrick’s film? No.

If it’s rubbish, it’ll be forgotten. If it’s great, it can sit proudly next to my Exorcist movie Blu-ray. End of the day, let’s hope Morgan Creek leave the team alone to do a good job!

[trevor1968]

Unfortunately the executives at Morgan Creek have a history of interfering in the production of their product, always it seems to the film's detriment.  

[Justin]

I'm not completely opposed to a mini-series but I'm disappointed that Blatty's screenplay was shelved and this greenlit instead. Also, with the recent trend of exorcism movies, if this series is a big success then you can pretty much guarantee a theatrical remake will happen.

[Jason Stringer]

Agreed. If the play and this TV series are a success, a remake is almost inevitable.

[Gabriel]

Captain Howdy said:

Agreed. If the play and this TV series are a success, a remake is almost inevitable.

It's a difficult one, because that means we don't want a TV show and play to be good, in order to prevent a movie remake. Then again, imagine the series is good and we get a Legion series to follow it, a movie remake will struggle even harder against a successful modern TV show and a 40-year-old film.

 

I mean, I have to be brutal here (and I do respect Messrs Blatty and Friedkin) but why would a teleplay by Blatty, who hasn't worked in television in 30 years and hasn't made a movie in 20 particularly excite me? He's writing interesting books and we all know what happened with his original Exorcist screenplay and why William Friedkin had to get him to abandon it and start from scratch.

 

And, speaking diplomatically, William Friedkin's most notable work in recent years had been recutting The Exorcist and messing with Owen Roisman's cinematography on The French Connection Blu-ray. He's not exactly regarded as the wunderkind he was 40+ years ago.

 

A modern TV miniseries for cable really needs someone up and coming with a fresh approach to tackle it. I'll give them a chance and hope that Morgan Creek let the makers get on with their adaptation and not mess with it the way they did Legion and Exorcist: The Beginning/Dominion.

[Justin]

http://ghostradio.wordpress.com/2012/05/26/the-exorcist-television-remake-not-a-remake-claims-author/

 

As for The Exorcist TV series, in as much as I have no idea what the script looks like,  it certainly does not have my blessing.    I was never consulted or even told about it by Morgan Creek. … it cannot be a TV remake of my novel to which they have no right whatever …

 

So… it's not so much a remake as it is a rip off?

[Sofia]

I don't think that's true, Justin, and I hope it isn't!! It's my dream to see a miniseries adaptation of the novel!

 

“Durkin’s story will apparently focus on the family dynamic before young Regan MacNeil becomes possessed, how the family copes (or does not cope) with the situation, and how the dire circumstances finally push them toward the church, and the assistance of Father Damian Karras. No clear indication yet whether that “family” will still consist solely of Regan and her famous mother Chris (played by Ellen Burstyn in the film), or if the family will be expanded to include more members for the sake of drama. We should hear more soon.”

[Sofia]

This was posted about 5 hours ago on themarysue.com site:

 

“And remember, the story doesn’t only concern the MacNeils — the movie starts with Father Damien Karras (Jason Miller) wondering whether or not he should continue the priesthood while he watches his mother succumb to illness. And even before that, we’re seeing the more ancient elements of demonic possession in an archaeological dig in the Middle East — there could be an entire hour about that, and that’s kind of exciting. “

[Author]

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