The Exorcist: Believer Moves Up Release Date By One Week ... Because of Taylor Swift

Forget the holy water, rosary beads, and crucifixes — demons have a new higher power to fear and her name is Taylor Swift. The superstar has officially shaken off the demons from Friday, October 13. 

The Exorcist: Believer producer Jason Blum confirmed on X (formerly Twitter) that the horror title will now open a week earlier on Friday, October 6, so as not to compete with The Eras Tour concert film Swift announced on her social media accounts Thursday. Thirteen is, of course, the musician's lucky number. 

RELATED: Will The Exorcist: Believer Feature Easter Eggs From Previous Exorcist Films?

"Look what you made me do," wrote the cheeky Blumhouse founder, using the hashtag #TaylorWins.

What is The Exorcist: Believer about?

The film will serve as a soft reboot of the hellish franchise by ignoring all of the established canon, except for the dogma of the 1973 original. Set half a century after young Regan MacNeil was freed from Pazuzu, the nightmare begins afresh when two more girls — Angela (Lidya Jewett) and Katherine (Olivia O'Neill) — find themselves under the spell of a similar malevolent entity. When modern medicine and science fail to cure the children, Angela's frather, widower Victor Fielding (Leslie Odom Jr.) brings in a ringer: none other than Chris MacNeil (Ellen Burstyn reprising the character for the very first time).

Rounding out the cast are Ann Dowd (The Handmaid’s Tale) as Victor and Angela’s neighbor; and Grammy winner Jennifer Nettles (The Righteous Gemstones) and two-time Tony winner Norbert Leo Butz (Bloodline) as Katherine's parents.

Who directed The Exorcist: Believer?

This 21st century tale of otherworldly terror was directed, co-written, and executive produced by David Gordon Green. While the filmmaker thought he'd had his fill of horror after breathing new life to the Halloween property, Green simply couldn't bring himself to turn down a chance to play in The Exorcist mythos.

"We could exercise new muscles, try something different, and utilize our drama tools in horror environments," Green, who shares script credit with  Peter Sattler, explained during an interview with IGN last month.

Similar to Green's recent exploits in Haddonfield, Believer is slated to kick off a brand-new trilogy. The sequel — officially titled The Exorcist: Deceiver — is tentatively slated to possess the big screen on April 18, 2025. The title and release date (tentative or otherwise) for the third movie have not been announced yet.

Blum produced Believer with David Robinson and James G. Robinson. Danny McBride, Stephanie Allain, Ryan Turek, and Atilla Yücer are executive producers with Green. The characters are based on those created by the late William Peter Blatty.

What is The Exorcist: Believer rated?

The Exorcist: Believer is rated R for "some violent content, disturbing images, language and sexual references."

Want more theatrical action in the meantime? Head on over to Peacock for exclusive access to recent releases like Renfield, The Super Mario Bros. Movie, and Asteroid City.