Russell Crowe Made Another Exorcism Movie (But It's Not What You Think)
Russell Crowe isn't done with exorcisms just yet. Despite not being a fan of horror films, Crowe took on the lead role in "The Pope's Exorcist" in 2023. A zany, old-school possession thriller, the film became a minor box office hit, grossing over $72 million on a budget of $18 million. The picture brought Crowe back into the limelight, was the subject of several memes and stands out as one of the actor's bolder efforts in recent years.
Now Crowe seems set to return to the genre with this year's "The Exorcism." But even though the titles and subject matter are similar, Crowe's latest horror effort is not related to "The Pope's Exorcist." "The Exorcism" was filmed under the title "The Georgetown Project" and actually wrapped production in 2019, but it's unclear why the film has been on the shelf for so long. "The Exorcism" is written and directed by M. A. Fortin and Joshua John Miller, the latter being the son of late "The Exorcist" star Jason Miller.
While there's no connection between the projects, it appears that the long-in-development "The Exorcism" is riding on the coattails of "The Pope's Exorcist." It's pretty funny that Crowe is starring in back-to-back exorcism films (which is mostly just a coincidence), a fact that hasn't been lost on fans. For example, X (formerly Twitter) user @isaacfeldberg noted how the projects even share similar poster aesthetics.
The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was getting Russell Crowe to star in two somehow unrelated exorcism movies in a two-year span pic.twitter.com/PXUX6YqjDb
— Isaac Feldberg (@isaacfeldberg) April 25, 2024
What is Russell Crowe's The Exorcism about?
"The Exorcism" seems to have a completely different tone than the pulpy "The Pope's Exorcist." In the new film, Crowe plays actor Anthony Miller, who is starring in a horror movie. As filming continues, Miller begins to act strangely, with his daughter (Ryan Simpkins) starting to wonder if her father has been possessed. The picture also features "Avatar" star Sam Worthington and pop sensation Chloe Bailey, who made her blockbuster debut in 2023's remake of "The Little Mermaid."
In "The Pope's Exorcist," Crowe played a priest who works personally for the supreme pontiff on cases of alleged possession. When production on the film started, Crowe had no idea that the Pope's exorcist was a real person, and once he learned that, it made the tale all the more compelling for the actor. It'll be interesting to see how Crowe's new release fares, both critically and commercially, and if it can hold a candle to last year's fan-favorite. Although "The Exorcism" seems to be a one-and-done project, "The Pope's Exorcist" director Julius Avery has joked that he hoped to make 199 sequels to his film, which means Crowe might not be done with the horror genre just yet.
While a sequel to "The Pope's Exorcist" has been announced, there's no word yet on when it will arrive in cinemas. Fans hoping to get their next scary Crowe fix will just have to wait for "The Exorcism," which hits theaters on June 7.