The Exorcist Star Linda Blair Weighs in on Recasting Regan for Believer Sequels (Exclusive)

After earning worldwide acclaim for her performance as Regan MacNeil in 1973's The Exorcist, actor Linda Blair returned to the franchise for 1977's Exorcist II: The Heretic. Both Blair and Regan were largely absent from the franchise for decades, though Blair did appear in a cameo in this year's The Exorcist: Believer. With Blair's priorities being her activism work with the Linda Blair WorldHeart Foundation, this would call into question how either she or Regan would be involved in the planned Believer sequels. In regards to whether that would mean the franchise would find a new performer to play Regan or pivot away from the character entirely for those sequels, Blair noted that she's not aware of what the filmmakers aim to accomplish, but expressed how she knows just how passionate audiences can be for specific characters and specific performers and the complications that could cause. The Exorcist: Deceiver currently has a release date of April 18, 2025. You can learn more about the Linda Blair WorldHeart Foundation at its official website.

"Audience-wise, it's important to pay attention to your audience. That's with many movies, when you have a company that cares about the audience, about the actors that are part of the films or if there's a trilogy or in a comic book world, you've got all the different characters. People, really, I think, besides the Joker, which has changed so many times where they're like, 'Okay,' they enjoy each one, but there are those that a certain person, a certain character, that's who they are, and they don't want to see anybody else playing that particular part," Blair confessed to ComicBook.com on the topic of recasting. "As far as the new film went, we knew that it was important. The audience made it very clear online that Regan is the film. With Ellen Burstyn, there's no finer actress. I mean, she is incredible, incredible to be around, incredible to watch her work, incredible on screen. But the audience was mad, they wanted Regan."

She added, "What the production company felt, Blumhouse and David Gordon Green, they wanted to go a little different direction but still honor the legacy of the project. They realized that we better throw Linda in there. It was a lot of ask for me, but we all made the agreement that, by doing this, that it would bring light to the animals that I am so passionate to see that change made."

Ahead of the film's release, the filmmakers confirmed that Blair served as a consultant on the project to work with the young stars of the film, given her firsthand experience of bringing such a harrowing story to life. Were the series to find a new performer to play Regan, it wouldn't be the first time, as the first season of the TV series The Exorcist revealed deep into its storyline that the character played by Geena Davis was an adult Regan whose family had once again become the target of demonic forces.

"That was the point of doing it, to give some kind of relief to the audience that I was still supporting it and that I was alive and well, and that they would follow me off-screen and realize that whether it's Regan or Linda, we're all the same, that we care about the animals, and that was the point of doing it," Blair continued. "I'm not sure they know what they're going to do with their future projects. I only know that [the Llinda Blair WorldHeart Foundation] is my passion and my work. So I'm hoping that people will help me to make the changes that need to be made. Because if you love animals, you get it, you understand it, help me to realize I can stand up against those that are bullying and causing all the trouble. I can, but I need the support. You cannot do it, you can't go this alone."

The Exorcist: Deceiver currently has a release date of April 18, 2025. You can learn more about the Linda Blair WorldHeart Foundation at its official website.

What would you like to see happen in the franchise's future? Let us know in the comments or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter to talk all things Star Wars and horror!