The Exorcist: Martyrs trailer arrived in full on October 9, 2026, and it confirms the shape of Mike Flanagan’s reboot: detective Julie Miller (Scarlett Johansson) catches satanic serial killer Father Sunday, watches him executed, and then watches his killings start again anyway. Universal and Blumhouse have the film in theaters March 12, 2027.
Trailer via Universal Pictures on YouTube.
| Release date | March 12, 2027 (theatrical) |
| Director | Mike Flanagan |
| Writer | Mike Flanagan (also directs and edits) |
| Studio | Universal Pictures, Blumhouse-Atomic Monster, Morgan Creek Entertainment, Red Room Pictures |
| Cast | Scarlett Johansson, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Diane Lane, Laurence Fishburne, John Leguizamo, Sasha Calle, Jacobi Jupe |
| Franchise | The Exorcist (continuity reboot) |
| Where to watch | Theaters only, no streaming date set |
What the Trailer Actually Shows
The trailer opens with Father Sunday (John Leguizamo) strapped to a gurney in an execution chamber, a crowd of onlookers watching through glass. Outside, protesters hold signs about the death penalty — the public reaction to a killer most of New York wanted dead. Flanagan cuts from the execution straight into detective Julie Miller (Johansson) back on the job, which is the trailer’s whole thesis in two shots: this case was supposed to be closed.
The Killer’s Calling Card Is Back
Midway through, a message shows up scrawled across a floor: “But you have forsaken me and served other gods, so I will no longer save you.” It is new footage, not something either the Oct. 7 teaser or early reporting had shown.
The shot is paired with a church converted into a crime scene, camera equipment and evidence markers set up in the nave, and a gloved hand lifting a rosary off a body. The trailer also cuts to an animal carcass strung upside down, the same kind of grim signature reporting has tied to Father Sunday’s original killings.
Miller Is the One Being Hunted This Time
Johansson gets more screen time than anyone else in the trailer, and almost all of it is her reacting rather than investigating — driving while visibly rattled, walking a jail corridor in uniform, sitting across from a priest in a near-empty church. Flanagan’s cut keeps circling back to her face, which tracks with the plot being built around her son becoming a target rather than a case she can solve from a desk.
The Ritual Imagery Leans Fully Into Horror
A church sequence with a priest in purple vestments, stained glass, and a nave full of congregants gives the trailer its one scene of institutional religion standing against whatever is happening. Set against it are a bound figure surrounded by dozens of lit candles and hands wrapped in white cloth gripping a rosary — ritual imagery that’s closer to body horror than anything the earlier Exorcist legacy films attempted. Reporting around the trailer has specifically called this out as the franchise’s first real swing at horror rather than suspense.
What’s New Since the Teaser
Universal put out a 15-second teaser on October 7, just two days before this trailer, as Flickering Myth reported at the time. It showed fragments without context — a woman at the top of a staircase, Johansson searching a basement with a flashlight, a child trying to get away.
This trailer fills in nearly all of it: the execution that opens the story, the protest outside it, the priest and the church investigation, and the carnival scene that places Miller’s family life next to the case. The teaser also didn’t confirm John Leguizamo as Father Sunday; this trailer does.
What the Trailer Doesn’t Show
No one in the trailer says out loud whether the new killings are Father Sunday somehow continuing his work from beyond the execution or a copycat using his methods — the title and imagery gesture at the supernatural without confirming it. It also never shows what happens to Miller’s son beyond a single glimpse of him at the carnival, and it stops short of showing an actual exorcism, despite the title.
Where This Fits in the Franchise
This is a continuity reboot, not a sequel to 2023’s The Exorcist: Believer — Flanagan’s film resets the story rather than continuing Ellen Burstyn’s return in that film. Believer opened to a soft $27.2 million domestically in October 2023 (The Hollywood Reporter), well below the franchise-best debut Universal had hoped for, which is part of why the studio handed the reboot to Flanagan instead of continuing that trilogy.
Flanagan is coming off directing Prime Video’s Carrie adaptation, which premiered the same week this trailer dropped, making this his second major horror release in play at once. He also co-wrote Warner Bros.’ Clayface, whose own final trailer we broke down in September — Flanagan has three horror projects at two different studios landing within months of each other.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does The Exorcist: Martyrs come out?
The Exorcist: Martyrs opens in theaters on March 12, 2027.
Is The Exorcist: Martyrs connected to The Exorcist: Believer?
No. Martyrs is a continuity reboot written and directed by Mike Flanagan, not a sequel to 2023’s The Exorcist: Believer.
Who plays Father Sunday in The Exorcist: Martyrs?
John Leguizamo plays Father Sunday, the satanic serial killer whose execution opens the film.
Who stars in The Exorcist: Martyrs?
Scarlett Johansson leads as detective Julie Miller, alongside Chiwetel Ejiofor, Diane Lane, Laurence Fishburne, Sasha Calle and John Leguizamo.
Is The Exorcist: Martyrs streaming?
No streaming date has been announced. It is currently set for a theatrical release only.
