Jacobi Jupe, currently shining in one of this award season's most coveted contenders, Hamnet, is set to star alongside Scarlet Johansson in Blumhouse and Universal's latest reimagining of The Exorcist. Mike Flanagan, renowned for his adaptations of Stephen King's works like Doctor Sleep and Gerald's Game, as well as his TV creations such as Midnight Mass and The Haunting of Hill House, penned the script and is directing what the studios are describing as a "fresh, bold" iteration on the supernatural horror classic. The new venture, which is neither a remake nor a sequel, follows the companies' previous ill-fated attempt to launch a franchise with 2023's The Exorcist: Believer.
The original Exorcist, based on the novel by William Peter Blatty and directed by William Friedkin, centered on the demonic possession of a young girl and the priests who fight to save her. The film was nominated for 10 Oscars, and its various follow-ups mostly revolved around the girl (now grown-up), the backstories of the priests, or other demonic cases investigated by detectives from the first movie. Principal photography for the new Exorcist is scheduled to commence in March in New York. While plot details are being kept under wraps, it is believed that Jupe will be playing Johansson's son.
Jupe, the brother of A Quiet Place actor Noah Jupe, stars as the titular character in Chloe Zhao's Hamnet alongside Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal. The movie has emerged as one of the most acclaimed films of the year and is now a top award contender. For his performance, Jupe has been nominated for the London Film Critics Circle in the category of young British/Irish performer of the year and also received a Critics Choice Award nomination for best young actor.
Last year, Jacobi starred opposite Billy Crystal in the Apple+ psychological thriller mini-series Before and played Michael Darling opposite Jude Law in Peter Pan and Wendy, directed by David Lowery for Disney+. He will next be seen in the horror thriller Victorian Psycho with Maika Monroe. Jacobi is represented by Brillstein Entertainment Group, Hansen Jacobson, and UK's Independent Talent Group.
