Friedkin And Blatty Mounting EXORCIST Remake?

A remake of The Exorcist may be in the works according to William Peter Blatty, author of the original novel and the classic film adaptation. In an interview recently published in Cemetery Dance magazine, Blatty mentions that he has penned a new, expanded screenplay of his novel for a proposed television miniseries. His admission came while discussing whether or not he wished he could change anything in the 1973 film-

Yes and no. I would love to have been able to include the subplot involving Karl and his daughter Elvira which I did in my first draft, but that script ran to 172 pages, much, much too long. But I might have it my way in the near future, inasmuch as I’ve written an Exorcist miniseries script that not only faithfully includes all the main elements of the novel, but also some rather spooky new material and scenes, as well as a totally new (and perhaps much more satisfying) ending. I’ve also updated it. Billy Friedkin has agreed to direct.

If anyone else was looking at remaking The Exorcist, I would have immediate strong reservations. The film is as perfect a thing as it could be. It claims its own identity separate from the original book, while still touching upon the novels major themes. And Blatty seems excited by the opportunity a miniseries allowing him to add more of the novel’s material back into a retelling of the story.

I do have reservations though about a “totally new (and perhaps much more satisfying) ending.” What makes the original work so well, is that the ending contains a certain moral ambiguity as to whether the God or Satan won the battle for souls that raged in that famous Georgetown brownstone. It was one of the main things about the project that attracted star Jason Miller. I’m anxious, and not in a good way, to see what Blatty has in mind.

Of course, there’s no mention of an actual outlet for this proposed miniseries, so right now we can just assume that this is still just a project looking for a home.

Via Bloody Disgusting.