“The Pope’s Exorcist” is far from being considered one of the best horror movies of all time. Nevertheless, it achieved notable commercial success, grossing $77 million worldwide against an initial budget of $18 million.
Rusell Crowe’s film is inspired by the real-life experiences of Gabriele Amorth, the controversial Catholic priest who claimed to have conducted over 60,000 exorcisms. This fact likely contributed to the picture’s broad appeal to audiences. Screen Gems, the production company behind the blockbuster, aims to sustain the success.
Its plot revolves around the Vatican’s chief Italian exorcist, who is assigned to a case involving a possessed that harbors a centuries-old Vatican conspiracy.
Is there going to be a sequel to The Pope’s Exorcist?
Not only is there going to be a sequel to “The Pope’s Exorcist”, but there is also a very strong likelihood of a complete trilogy for Amorth’s story. This wouldn’t be surprising, as Screen Gems may be aiming to create a franchise that can rival strong ones like “The Conjuring” and “Insidious.”
Russell Crowe and Daniel Zovatto in The Pope’s Exorcist. (Source: IMDb)
The first hint came from Russell Crowe himself in an interview with The Six O’Clock Show one month ago. There, he assured us that we haven’t seen the last of the priest and his exorcisms.
“The producers originally got the kick off from the studio not just for one sequel but for two. But there’s been a change of studio heads at the moment, so that’s going around in a few circles. But very definitely, man. We set that character up that you could take him out and put him into a lot of different circumstances.”
Screen Gems has just confirmed being in pre-production for a second installment of “The Pope’s Exorcist,” indicating that Crowe’s statement is beginning to materialize. While the film was rumoured to have a continuation in April 2023, we can now confirm that it is officially in the works.
What will The Pope’s Exorcist sequel be about?
Although there isn’t any news on an official plot yet, Russell Crowe has indicated that the upcoming installments will draw inspiration from Amorth’s controversial memoirs. These books detail his experiences as an exorcist and the official Roman Catholic teachings on demonology.
With the conclusion of the first movie suggesting that Amorth would continue to visit various malignant sites worldwide to eradicate evil, we can anticipate a story similar to that of “The Nun 2”, which follows the same premise of saving towns from demonic forces.
What we can certainly expect is for this sequel to be more graphic than its predecessor. This is a common trend with horror blockbusters, which often aim for at least an R rating and refrain from showcasing excessive violence in the initial film, only to intensify the horror in subsequent installments.
