Universal Pictures released the first trailer for The Exorcist: Martyrs on Friday, with Scarlett Johansson as an NYPD detective facing demonic forces, ahead of its March 12, 2027 cinema release.
TL;DR
- Universal dropped the trailer on Oct. 9, three days after a short teaser.
- Johansson plays NYPD homicide detective Julie Miller, a single mother.
- Her 12-year-old son becomes the target of a demonic force, according to reports.
- The film opens in US cinemas on March 12, 2027.
What the Exorcist: Martyrs trailer shows
Mike Flanagan, the writer-director, has pitched the film as a standalone story within the Exorcist universe. It is not a sequel to 2023's The Exorcist: Believer.
The teaser arrived Oct. 6, according to Dark Horizons. It flashed Johansson in character, a priest in a vast church and John Leguizamo strapped to an execution table, according to Dread Central.
Who Scarlett Johansson plays
Johansson plays Julie Miller, who reportedly watches the execution of a serial killer called Father Sunday, played by Leguizamo. Reports say his crimes mimic the martyrdom of Catholic saints.
The killings then reportedly threaten Miller's family, including her young son Max and her mother, played by Diane Lane. Chiwetel Ejiofor, the British actor, plays a priest named Father William, with Laurence Fishburne as another priest.
Why Flanagan's Exorcist reboot matters
Universal paid $400 million for the franchise rights in 2021, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The plan was a trilogy, but Believer disappointed and the studio turned to Flanagan to reboot its own reboot.
Flanagan told Esquire he wants to blend the serial-killer thrills of Se7en and The Silence of the Lambs with Exorcist-style horror. He said audiences are "not seeing a retread of The Exorcist."
His Stephen King adaptation Carrie hit 82% on Rotten Tomatoes before its Prime Video launch. Horror fans can also read about Blumhouse-Atomic Monster's Anything But Ghosts, which opens May 7, 2027.
UK release and British talent
Universal has set March 12, 2027 for the US. A UK cinema date has not been confirmed in the sources checked.
Ejiofor, who was born in London, is the film's biggest British name. For another horror-thriller crossover, see our look at The Cycle trailer.
Reported from publicly available interviews and verified press sources. Last reviewed Oct. 10, 2026.
