He’s been a Gladiator. He’s been a Nice Guy. He’s been a Pope’s Exorcist. Now get ready to see Russell Crowe as you’ve never seen him before. In The Exorcism, Russell Crowe plays an actor playing an exorcist. Well, at least that’s somewhat of a change—but will he still ride a Lambretta Scooter?
Crowe stars as Anthony Miller, an actor in the throes of a breakdown during the cursed production of an exorcism-based horror movie. Directed by Joshua John Miller, writer of the similarly meta Final Girls and son of Exorcist actor Jason Miller, whose character Father Karras defenestrated himself after accepting possession of the demon Pazuzu, the movie is loosely based on his childhood experiences. In a statement, Miller says his father “never shied away from telling [him] stories of just how ‘cursed’ [The Exorcist] was.”
The first trailer, which has way more David Hyde Pierce than anyone could’ve expected, hammers home the conceit by name-checking The Exorcist and The Omen’s on-set disturbances. The accidents have become the stuff of Hollywood mythology, attracting the likes of famed exorcism movie participant Russell Crowe.
To everyone’s delight, last year, Crowe starred in The Pope’s Exorcist, a film that, aside from being reportedly pretty fun, led to photos of Crowe on a scooter, which was definitely really fun. Don’t let us down, The Exorcism. Please give him a scooter and let the Crowe fly.