The Pope's Exorcist is officially getting a sequel, Bloody Disgusting has confirmed. The site shared the news on April 25, less than three weeks after the supernatural horror movie was released in UK and US cinemas.
Set in the late 1980s, the first film sees Russell Crowe play Father Gabriele Amorth, the Vatican's go-to guy when it comes to rescuing possessed folk from demons and the like. Haunted by a woman he could not save and increasingly irritated by the Church's interference with his cases, Amorth agrees to help single mother Julia, who has just moved her family from the US into a dilapidated abbey in Spain. Turns out, her husband died in a car accident and left them the old, mysterious building.
Determined to do the place up, sell it, and go back stateside, Julia had ordered a significant amount of work on the place. But one day, the contractors disturb the seal to a Vatican vault below the dwelling and inadvertently unleash a vengeful evil spirit. Desperate to wreak havoc, the entity takes over Julia's young son Henry, prompting the services of Amorth and local priest Father Esquibel (Daniel Zovatto).
Directed by Julius Avery, it's partly based on An Exorcist Tells His Story and An Exorcist: More Stories by the real-life Amorth. Franco Nero, Laurel Marsden, Peter DeSouza-Feighoney, Cornell John, and Alex Essoe round out the supporting cast, while Game of Thrones' Ralph Ineson lends his voice to demon Asmodeus.
While it received middling reviews, those who have seen the flick aren't likely to be surprised that there's more in the pipeline. For starters, it's made a respectable $52 million so far at the worldwide box-office and, right at the end of the film, Amorth returns to Rome with Esquibel, where the pair meet one of Amorth's superiors, Bishop Lumumba. Lumbumba shows them to a special archive, and suggests that there are hundreds of unholy sites around the world that could do with investigating.
Pulling out a map he found back at the abbey, Amorth jokingly says, "We're going to Hell!" And, well, looks like he's taking us along for the (scooter) ride.
The Pope's Exorcist is in cinemas now. For more, check out our list of the most exciting upcoming movies heading our way in 2023 and beyond.
