The Exorcist is one of the scariest films of all time and one of the fan’s favorite ones. However, it will be fun to imagine what the 2020 version of the film looks like with a different cast?
The Exorcist is a horror film series consisting of five movies based on William Peter Blatty’s 1971 film The Exorcist. The movie is distributed by 20th Century Fox and Warner Bros. Pictures. The Exorcist film series has collected $661 million worldwide against a budget of $147 million.
The first movie of the franchise was released in 1973; William Friedkin directed it. The film stars Max von Sydow, Ellen Burstyn, Kitty Winn, Lee J. Cobb, Linda Blair, Jack MacGowran, and Jason Miller. It follows a 12-year-old Regan, who is possessed by demons. Regan’s mother tries to help her through exorcism by two Roman Catholic priests. The Exorcist became a cult conversation and was the first horror movie to be nominated for the 10 Academy Award for Best Picture. It won the award of Best Sound and Best Adapted Screenplay. The film was also the highest-grossing R-rated horror movie. Film critic Mark Kermode called the film “his favorite film of all time.”
The first film of the franchise is a true classic, and reportedly the team is planning a reboot of The Exorcist, which is planned for 2021 release. Indeed, the script behind the scenes, the director, and the cast would help create a successful film. In this article, we tried to recast the actors of The Exorcist who would be best for the role.
Samara Weaving As Chris MacNeil
Samara Weaving is an Australian model and actress. She started her career with a series, Out of the Blue. She has received the nomination of the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA) for Best Female Performance in 2011. Weaving starred in films including The Babysitter, Mayhem, and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. The actress also earned a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture.
Samara Weaving would be the best actress for the character of the mother, Chris MacNeil. Ellen Burstyn originally played the part. The character of Chris MacNeil is a single mother who is a working actress. She’s an intelligent woman and very grounded, wants to do every possible thing for her daughter. MacNeil is not religious and superstitious; she does not blindly believe in religious practice; instead, she seeks help from friends and professional doctors. However, when she eventually has no option left, the caring mother meets a priest to help her daughter, Regan.
Weaving is an amazing actress, and she has proven her talent in many of her previous projects. The Australian actress would be a perfect cast for thriller and horror movies.
Donald Sutherland As Father Lankester Merrin
Donald Sutherland is a Canadian actor best known for movies including M*A*S*H, Klute, The Dirty Dozen, Kelly’s Heroes, The Eagle Has Landed, Ordinary People, Animal House, and Eye of the Needle.
Sutherland was nominated for eight Golden Globe Awards and won two of them for his TV films’ Path to War and Citizen X performance. The actor also got the Primetime Emmy Award for Citizen X.
There is no better actor for the role of Father other than Sutherland. Lankester Merrin is the old priest from The Exorcist. The role was initially played by the incredible actor Max Von Sydow. Casting Sutherland would also help the team not to apply any old makeup for the character. The original version of The Exorcist is very good, but the 44-year-old actor Sydow needed a great deal of makeup to give him the look of the required old age.
Donald Sutherland would offer a similar screen presence as Sydow, and the actor is also known for his acting ability in horror films.
Christian Bale As Father Damien Karras
Christian Bale is an English actor known for his versatility and method acting. Bale is one of the amazing actors of Hollywood. He received many awards, including two Golden Globes and an Academy Award. The actor is known for his movies, including Empire of the Sun, Pocahontas, Little Women, American Psycho, The Machinist, and Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Trilogy. For the movie The Machinist, the actor lost around 29 kg to fit in the look and character.
In the movie The Exorcist, the role of the younger father, Damien Karras, is much larger than the role of the older one. In the original movie, the character was played by Jason Miller; the actor was much related to the character. With the casting decision, Christan Bale should be ideal for the role as he has repeatedly proven his abilities by some fantastic performances. Bale not only knows the horror genre but also does his job very passionately.
The above are a few actors that the casting directors can consider for the characters of The Exorcist reboot.
Source: Recasting William Friedkin’s 1971 Classic The Exorcist In 2020
