Did anyone see the 'new' 'Exorcist' movie before they fucked it up?
 

The devil you'll never know
By Nick Nunziata
CNN Headline News
Tuesday, March 16, 2004 Posted: 11:28 AM EST (1628 GMT)



(CNN) -- Sometimes it's hard to decide which is truly more horrific: The world of horror or the world of the film business.

With horror you have staples to rely on. You know that the victim is going to open a closet and get startled by a cat while the real villain lurks behind them. You know that the scary voice on the phone will be revealed to be coming from upstairs in the house. You know that the little girl isn't vomiting pea soup across the room because it's fun, though I must admit that it is a hobby of mine.

The familiarity of horror is what makes the genre eternal. After a long week, sometimes we need a little shock or a little mayhem in our escapism. The horror of reality is present every time we unfold a newspaper or change the channel, so we'll take a guy in a hockey mask on film over a guy in a ski mask in real life any chance we can get.

That makes sense. The film business does us no such favors. It's a serpentine beast, impossible to predict and often one whose motives and logic seem veiled in the mire.

A perfect example would be how the upcoming "Exorcist: The Beginning" prequel has been handled through its unique and controversial existence.

For those who aren't aware, the fourth film in the successful horror series was shot last year in Italy and Morocco with respected filmmaker Paul Schrader behind the lens and the always solid Stellan Skarsgärd playing the younger incarnation of the priest that Max von Sydow played in the 1973 original.

That's a rather solid one-two punch, especially in a business where most franchises have lost all their creative steam by their second installment. This was to be a very smart and very classical horror film.

Remember, "The Exorcist" was nominated for 10 Academy Awards back in the day. This isn't a series raised upon cheap scares but rather deeply psychological terrors, things that shake people to their very core.

Most horror aficionados would be chomping at the bit to see an "Exorcist" movie from the writer of "Taxi Driver" and "Raging Bull," but because of Hollywood's penchant for all things illogical, we'll never see the film.

Even though the movie was finished and assembled, a new director and a mostly new cast has been brought on board to shoot the film anew. Who is this director brought in to make Schrader's thought-provoking cerebral horror film into a fast-paced and flashy thriller geared toward today's audience? Renny Harlin, the man behind "Cutthroat Island" and "Cliffhanger."

It makes you wonder if the powers that be felt we as an audience weren't able to appreciate a film geared more toward the motives of fear and the concept of faith. Schrader's film may have been truly special, but we may never know.

Instead, we'll see a weird amalgam of a movie, one whose behind the scenes turmoil will probably eclipse whatever terror appears on the screen.

Now, that is horror.

Has it been released?

Renny Harlin sucks.

I hope it bombs and the studio loses a lot of money for their stupidity.

Most likely it will... Unless it is idiotic and innane.. Then it will do great! Americans can not abide by intelligent movies. They confuse them...

Yah, Renny's an idiot. Any tool stupid enough to date my ex roommate is a fucking moron.

This thread was started a month ago, but here's new info on the new Exorcist prequels, from VARIETY:

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'Exorcist's' double demons
DVD plan for prequels a head-turner
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By CLAUDE BRODESSER,*DAVE MCNARY

Having first made a prequel to the 1973 blockbuster with Paul Schrader and found it lacking in overt frights, Morgan Creek commissioned a second "Exorcist" prequel with a new cast, a tweaked script and a new director in Renny Harlin; that pic will be released in theaters Aug. 20.

Will Schrader's movie be consigned to the scrap heap? No, Morgan Creek topper James Robinson has other plans: He's seeking to have Warner Bros. release both helmers' "Exorcist" pics on DVD simultaneously. Among other potential confusions, this raises the specter of a complicated credits arbitration with the DGA.

It's an unconventional, and possibly unprecedented move, with sizable implications for both pics' bottom lines. Almost $100 million is at stake.

"I'm very proud of my film, and I think it deserves to be seen," Schrader told Daily Variety. "If I get the DVD, I can say 'God bless you Renny; may your film do well.' "

Schrader said he's agreed in principle to the arrangement with Morgan Creek in order to get his version seen and as a way of settling the contractual issues of his being owed a preview and an official screening. He also said the pact will eliminate the possibility of a Directors Guild of America credit arbitration.

Schrader noted his original marching orders were to make a non-hardcore horror film lacking in the original's more shocking qualities.

"They made it clear -- no spinning heads and no pea soup," he said. "So that's what I delivered, but then they changed their mind."

Schrader noted the pact includes a nondisparagement clause for both sides.

"The agreement allows me to say that it's Robinson's money and his decision," he added. "This is kind of a case of buyer's remorse, as you bought a Lexus, and when you got it home, you decided that you really wanted a Hummer, so now you have a Lexus and a Hummer in your garage."

It's unclear whether consumers would pay extra for two prequels. Also unknown is whether Warners would bundle both films in one DVD or simply make both films available individually. A spokesman for the studio said Morgan Creek hadn't yet discussed the DVD plan with execs there.

Robinson said he's deferring to Warner homevid prexy James Cardwell on the subject of how many discs to package, but insists the two "Exorcist" films are distinct, and not one film that has simply been reshot.

"This is going to sound unbelievable," Robinson said of the decision, "but we made a movie -- twice. If you see the two movies, you wouldn't believe it's the same d.p."

After Schrader's "Exorcist" allegedly came up short on scares, scribe Alexi Hawley was hired to change the script in a few areas, and its central characters were recast and, in some cases, renamed.

For example, Gabriel Mann, who played Father Francis in the Schrader version, was replaced by James D'Arcy in that role. In Harlin's movie, the character of Rachel (Clara Bellar) was changed to Sarah and played by Izabella Scorupco. And the part of Che-che, played for Schrader by pop star Billy Crawford, was changed to Joseph, played by Remy Sweeny.

The motivation for the dual DVD release was the substantial cost of shooting Schrader's picture, which Robinson says was roughly $32 million to $35 million. Harlin's version, shot with the same cinematographer, cost between $52 million to $54 million, according to Robinson.

"The situation is in some ways the ultimate film school exercise, though you usually don't give each director $35 million to make their film," added Schrader, best known for penning classics like "Raging Bull" and "Taxi Driver."

Of course, "Exorcist" had been bedeviled by numerous snafus that predated even the Schrader/Harlin imbroglio. John Frankenheimer was to have helmed the film originally, but died before he got the chance. Schrader's intended lead, Liam Neeson, was replaced by Stellan Skarsgard, due to Neeson's scheduling conflicts.

The DGA has declined to comment on the matter.
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So, it looks like we will be able to see both versions. Definitely a smart move, and a no brainer, since $100 million is at stake here...

But the big questions is..
Can it be worse than the new version of Texas Chainsaw Massacre?

They destroyed that film...:feels-hot

The Exorcist was awesome when they re-released it in the theater with the new clips. There is NO reason to remake this film.
However...It is not a scarry movie to watch on DVD, but in the theater its a whole nother thing...


---Chipmunk---

It's not a remake of the original, it's a pre-quel centered around Father Maron

at least they will release the first version on DVD

Wo.. never knew they even shot the new film! I hope there is some way to see it before its put away on some shelf forever...

On DVD yet ?

http://www.angryalien.com/0204/exorcistbunnies.html

These bunnies did a good remake :1orglaugh