Dan Stevens set to star in new horror film The Ritual with the legendary Al Pacino, who will be the perfect replacement for the recent failed reboot of a beloved horror franchise. From director David Midell and writer Enrico Natale, The Ritual recently got a release date for Easter weekend 2025, and based on the limited details revealed, it looks like it will hit many of the familiar notes of the demon exorcism subgenre. This is certainly not an attack on him, considering how many disappointing exorcism films have been released in recent years.
A familiar exorcism formula could still be a big hit, considering The Ritual will be elevated by the presence of Pacino and Stevens. While there has been no shortage of attempts at high-quality modern exorcism films, there have unfortunately been very few successes. In just the last two years, Oscar winner Russell Crowe has starred in two total flops: The Pope's Exorcist and The Exorcism. However, there is a great exorcism movie that The Ritual could act as an ideal replacement, assuming it is a success.
The Ritual could be the modern exorcist film that The Exorcist should have been
The Possession subgenre needs a great story accented with legit modern scares
Expectations were very high for the return of The Exorcist franchise in 2023 thanks to a killer first trailer and an exciting production team. David Gordon Green was in charge, just a few years after giving new life to the Halloween franchise (although he promptly erased it all with the trilogy's final chapter, End of Halloween). The Exorcist: Believer intended to start a new trilogy of Exorcist filmsand also featured the return of Ellen Burstyn and Linda Blair, who reprized their iconic characters from the original The Exorcist.
|
The Exorcist: Believer – Key Details |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Release date |
Budget |
Gross box office |
RT Tomatometer Score |
RT popcorn meter |
|
October 6, 2023 |
US$30 million |
US$137 million |
22% |
58% |
Unfortunately, the film itself was a complete disaster. Critics ridiculed it for its lack of new ideas, incoherent plot and wasted cast.although it had a respectable box office. The Exorcist: Believer It was such a failure that the rest of the next trilogy was essentially scrapped. The Ritual has a golden opportunity to step in as a replacement, as its plot involves an old priest and a young priest teaming up to help a young girl in a series of exorcisms. It is already another spiritual successor to the The Exorcist what The Exorcist: Believer.
Dan Stevens' horror credentials make the ritual even more intriguing
Stevens has a history of elevated horror films
While the inclusion of Al Pacino is enough to build excitement for any film, the addition of Dan Stevens could be even more intriguing. The Ritual was originally going to star Ben Foster alongside Pacino, but Foster was replaced by Stevens early in development. Taking nothing away from the ultra-talented Foster, Stevens' inclusion could end up being the best thing for the film's overall qualitygiven his continued run of success in horror films.
Stevens' most recent foray into the genre was the psychological horror 2024 Cuckooin which he played a disturbed German scientist. Before that, he played the villain Frank in the surprise hit Vampires (at least with critics). Abigail. He has a long list of great roles in many horror subgenres.especially in films like The guest, The rentand Apostle. Stevens' horror credentials make his inclusion in The Ritual an exciting prospect and raises hopes that it could be the high-quality exorcism film the subgenre has been missing.