THE EXORCIST Becoming a TV Series from MARTHA MARCY MAY MARLENE Director Sean Durkin

The 40th anniversary of the classic 1973 horror film The Exorcist is right around the corner, so it only seems appropriate that William Peter Blatty‘s story will be revamped for a new audience. No the film isn’t being remade or getting a new big screen adaptation, but instead, it will be heading to TV. After making a splash with the indie hit Martha Marcy May Marlene, a film that deserved much more Oscar love earlier this year, writer and director Sean Durkin is turning his attention to turning The Exorcist into a ten-episode  TV series with Roy Lee, the executive producer of The Ring, as producer.

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Unlike the film, Vulture says this new take on the story will follow the events leading up to a demonic possession as well as the after-effects of how a family deals with it. Of course, there will still be the standard exorcism scenes as when medical and psychiatric explanations fail, the desperate family turns to the church, with Father Damien Karras finally brought in to attempt the exorcism. Apparently the series won’t be shopped around for another couple weeks, but some executives are already clamoring for a meeting with Durkin about this new take on The Exorcist. It remains to be seen whether the story will take place in the past or be updated with a contemporary setting. Details are still pretty sparse, but with Durkin involved, who crafted a haunting tale of a woman dealing with the emotional demons of living with a strange cult after she leaves them behind, I can only hope for the best. Stay tuned.

If you haven’t seen The Exorcist, here’s the trailer: