"The Pope's Exorcist" Sequel in Works

The world of "The Pope's Exorcist" is expanding with a brand-new entry. The 2023 movie, which became a sleeper hit starring Russell Crowe as a scooter-riding man of faith, captured the attention and devotion of horror fans worldwide.

After the movie's theatrical run, there was immediate buzz about a sequel. Though some shifts at Screen Gems temporarily stalled progress, the wheels are now set in motion.

Producer Jeff Katz shared the news on social media, expressing his gratitude towards the fans.

Katz also hinted at possible titles for the sequel, inspired by the naming style of the Planet of the Apes franchise. "I personally want to go Planet of the Apes with it so you would get stuff like 'Pray for the Pope's Exorcist' or 'Heaven Help the Pope's Exorcist' and the like," he remarked, suggesting a broad scope for future installments.

Crowe also recently discussed the potential expansion in an interview with The Six O'Clock Show, he mentioned the possibility of a trilogy, contingent on studio approval.

"The Pope’s Exorcist" featured the acclaimed actor portraying Father Gabriele Amorth, the legendary Italian priest who performed over 100,000 exorcisms for the Vatican—drawing on his international bestselling memoirs "An Exorcist Tells His Story" and "An Exorcist: More Stories".

Father Amorth, who died in 2016, left behind a trove of additional accounts of his exploits pulling the devil out of people all over the world.

Two years after his death, Screen Gems acquired his life rights for the project, along with rights to his memoirs.

"The Pope’s Exorcist" was in development at Screen Gems for some time, with Ángel Gómez having previously been attached to direct since 2020. Evan Spiliotopoulos wrote the current draft of the script, with revisions by Chuck MacLean, which was based on Michael Petroni-revised original drafts by Chester Hastings and R. Dean McCreary.

Doug Belgrad of 2.0 Entertainment will produce along with Michael Patrick Kaczmarek for Jesus & Mary, Jeff Katz of Worldwide Katz, and Loyola Productions President Eddie Siebert, with Scott Strauss, Michael Bitar, and Giselle Johnson overseeing the project for Screen Gems.

Amorth’s role with the Catholic Church and how he performed thousands of exorcisms for more than three and a half decades has made him a controversial figure for the nature of his work battling against this kind of unproven demonic evil.

He worked around the same time as the famous demonologists Ed and Lorraine Warren who were well known for their own set of controversial methods and theories.