What if you took a Dan Brown story and smushed it together with The Exorcist? If the trailer for the film is any indication, you’ll get The Pope’s Exorcist, a movie starring Russell Crowe as the titular character who has a run-in with the Devil that also unearths some deep Vatican secrets.
Here’s the official synopsis:
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A House With Good Bones
Inspired by the actual files of Father Gabriele Amorth, Chief Exorcist of the Vatican (Academy Award®-winner Russell Crowe), The Pope’s Exorcist follows Amorth as he investigates a young boy’s terrifying possession and ends up uncovering a centuries-old conspiracy the Vatican has desperately tried to keep hidden.
Intrigue! The Devil! Russell Crowe looking down a wishing well lined with human skulls and floating in the air at some point!
This movie from Sony Pictures looks more than a little dumb and I can’t wait to watch it. It’s loosely based on the books by Father Amorth, An Exorcist Tells His Story and An Exorcist: More Stories, and I can’t help but think this is Sony’s attempt to start something like the very profitable Conjuring franchise over at Warner Bros.
A bevy of writers was also involved in the adaptation, specifically Michael Petroni and R. Dean McCreary & Chester Hastings for the screen story, and Michael Petroni and Evan Spiliotopoulos for the actual screenplay. It’s directed by Julius Avery, whose previous credits include the Sylvester Stallone-starring Samaritan.
In addition to Crowe the movie stars Daniel Zovatto, Alex Essoe, and Franco Nero. The Pope’s Exorcist will inhabit a theater near you starting April 14, 2023.
