It looks like Russell Crowe cannot leave behind the horror and mystery genres so soon. According to an official update from The Pope’s Exorcist’s producer, Jeff Katz, the 2023 film will receive a sequel soon. The horror film was a sleeper hit at the box office and, despite not being perfect, was liked by many.
The Pope’s Exorcist mostly earned mixed reviews from critics. However, it seems like the makers want to mimic the first film’s unexpected success. Earlier this year, Russell Crowe discussed the possibility of numerous follow-ups to the Julius Avery directorial. Jeff Katz has now confirmed that the universe will expand and follow the blueprint of the Planet of the Apes franchise for its title.
How will The Pope’s Exorcist follow the path of the Planet of the Apes franchise?
The Pope’s Exorcist marked the horror debut of the Oscar-winning Russell Crowe. Despite receiving some strong criticism from the critics, the film managed to earn around $77 million against a small budget of $18 million (via Box Office Mojo). The producer, Jeff Katz, has now taken to his X account to officially confirm the sequel.
Jeff Katz wrote in his post that he has received the call to green-light the sequel to The Pope’s Exorcist. He also praised the fans for their love of the first film and could not wait any longer to get back to the world of Father Gabriele Amorth.
“Amorth Nation — I just got the call. IT’S OFFICIALLY HAPPENING. Thank you to the amazing [The Pope’s Exorcist] fans. You made this happen. Gas up your Lambretta — get ready to ride.”
When a fan asked about the title of the upcoming sequel, Jeff Katz shared that they will follow the path of the Planet of the Apes franchise and we can expect some crazy titles in the universe- “I personally want to go PLANET OF THE APES with it so you would get stuff like PRAY FOR THE POPE’S EXORCIST or HEAVEN HELP THE POPE’S EXORCIST and the like.”
I personally want to go PLANET OF THE APES with it so you would get stuff like PRAY FOR THE POPE'S EXORCIST or HEAVEN HELP THE POPE'S EXORCIST and the like. But that's just me.
— It's Katz (@PodKatz) May 2, 2024
The Planet of the Apes is one of the most popular franchises out there. According to The Numbers, it is worth $2.1 billion. It is expected to rise more this year with the release of the highly anticipated Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes.
Russell Crowe expected The Pope’s Exorcist to be a trilogy
The Pope’s Exorcist is based on the books of prominent exorcist Father Gabriele Amorth. He is widely renowned for his works in demonology and exorcism and is also a co-founder of the International Association of Exorcists. Russell Crowe shared in The Six O’Clock Show earlier this year that the producers were originally planning to turn The Pope’s Exorcist into a trilogy.
Crowe added that there is ample source material out there to make numerous follow-ups, but it will take some time.
“We set that character up that you could take him out and put him into a lot of different circumstances. And remember, the man that’s based on, Gabriele Amorth, he wrote 12 books. So we have more than enough source material to do one or two more of those films. But that probably won’t be until next year.”
The ending of The Pope’s Exorcist also left the doors open for a sequel. It will be exciting to see what the makers cook for the upcoming challenge for Father Amorth. On the other hand, it is also to be seen if the titles planned on the lines of the Planet of the Apes movies add some hype to the upcoming sequel.
Russell Crowe will be soon seen in another horror film titled The Exorcism. It will be released on June 7, 2024.
The Pope’s Exorcist can be streamed on Netflix.
