The “pact with the devil” that has convinced Ellen Burstyn to return in the reboot of ‘The Exorcist’ after rejecting sequels for 50 years

The controversial adaptation of William Friedkin’s novelThe Exorcist‘ is remembered among other things by the Oscar-winning actress Ellen Burstin. Nearly 50 years later, after refusing to reprise her role numerous times, Burstyn finally agreed to return to Pazuzu’s kingdom and in an interview with The Hollywood Reporterrevealed the deal he reached to return in the sequel-reboot of David GordonGreen.

More than money (and a good cause)

Does little more than a yearthe horror community was shocked when it was announced that Green, whose trilogy of ‘Halloweenwas in charge of a new sequel to ‘The Exorcist’, with the confirmation of the return of Burstyn as Chris MacNeilactress mother of Regan (Linda Blair) what was it that convinced the actress to return to a role that she left behind almost 50 years ago?

In the interview, Burstyn spoke about the importance of his participation in the Actor’s Studio in New York, associated with Pace University. As the studio’s 75th anniversary approaches, Burstyn, co-chairing with Al Pacino, is preparing a “Sunday screening series” at the association. Since 1967, the Actor’s Studio has been a place of great importance in the actress’s life, providing her with not only experience alongside greats like Marlon Brando and Paul Newman, but also a philosophy towards the arts. It was his passion for his study that made him agree to be MacNeil again:

“What happened was that I turned down a lot of versions of ‘The Exorcist 2.’ I said, ‘Okay, let me think about this.’ I thought, ‘That’s a lot of money. Let me think about it.’ The next thought that came to mind was, ‘I feel like the devil is asking my price.’ The next thought that came to mind was, ‘My price is a scholarship program for talented students in our master’s program at Pace University. That’s my price. So I went back, upped the ante, and ended up getting what I wanted.’ And I have a scholarship program for young actors.”

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Burstyn says that most of Green’s first of three Exorcist films have been shot, that he enjoyed working with the filmmaker, and that he will return to production next November to polish up some reshoots. He added that the movie has gone through the editing process and will be released in 2024 on the 50th anniversary of ‘The Exorcist’, original.

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The “pact with the devil” that has convinced Ellen Burstyn to return in the reboot of ‘The Exorcist’ after rejecting sequels for 50 years