‘Cursed' Exorcist prequel opens in US
US audiences will get their first look at the prequel to hit horror flick Exorcist this weekend, amid reports that Hollywood had a devil of a time bringing the long-awaited prequel to the screen.
Filmmakers went through three directors, six writers and two stars before settling on the version that opens this weekend in the United States.
They also had to overcome some spooky goings-on that had some of the crew whispering that the troubled project was cursed. Just two weeks into filming The Exorcist: The Beginning, director Renny Harlin, ex-husband of actress Geena Davis, was hit by a car as he crossed the road in Rome. Harlin’s leg required 14 surgical pins and, even worse, production was halted for more than two weeks, piling on the costs for the horror film’s spiralling budget.
“Not to sound ridiculous, but I think it must have been a warning from somewhere,” said Harlin. “If you want to talk about a curse, ominous things happened throughout filming and post-production. There are dark powers in the world. And these are things you can’t take lightly.”
The film’s original director, John Frankenheimer, was rushed to hospital soon after starting pre-production in 2002 and he died of a stroke a few weeks later. His replacement, Paul Schrader, was effectively fired after making his €37m version of the movie and Harlin was asked to start again because studio bosses were unhappy with the way it turned out.
The film which US cinema audiences will see this weekend stars Stellan Skarsgard, playing Father Merrin, the Max Von Sydow character who clashes with Satan in the 1973 original, as a young priest who confronts the devil in post-World War Two Kenya. Liam Neeson was originally signed to play the priest.
