In the new horror film from filmmaker Julius Avery, Russell Crowe portrays the real-life priest Father Gabriele Amorth. He travels from the Vatican to Spain to deal with his most horrifying instance of possession yet.
One of his generation’s best performers is diving headfirst into the scary realm of yelled prayers and desperate Latin recitations in his next film, marking Crowe’s first step into the horror genre.
His character, Amorth, goes to Spain to examine the possession of a young child of that age who has suddenly taken up residence in a deserted monastery. He teams up with Father Esquibel, a local priest.
Because the film is based on a true story, this could be both limiting and inspiring. Father Gabriele Amorth had more cases, so multiple films could be based on that. However, if filmmakers are wanting to keep true to their source material, that could limit what stories they can tell on screen.
The film’s ending surely indicates that the makers are likely to turn this into a multi-movie horror franchise.
With so many more stories to tell and the response that the movie is getting, it won’t be surprising if the makers go ahead with their multi-movie franchise plans, which they surely would.
How does The Pope’s Exorcist set up a sequel?
Amorth and Thomas return to the Vatican where they are congratulated by the Pope. It seems like the investigations into Amorth’s line of work have ended, but there is plenty more work to be done.
The Vatican is studying the journals of a Friar who had been possessed by Asmodeus. It appears as though they have uncovered the other 199 burial sites where people can be possessed by the demon. Now it’s Amorth’s responsibility to exorcise them.
He won’t be alone though, as Thomas is joining him. The two priests shake hands, and Thomas says, “Let’s go to work.” To which Amorth responds, “Let’s go to Hell.”
And while this ending isn’t an official call for a sequel, it sounds very much like a suggestion of one.
Is Sony developing a new universe?
The ending seems to give us an indication that Sony might want to take this franchise ahead with more movies. The production house is thinking of doing what New Line Cinema and Warner Bros. did with ‘The Conjuring Universe’. The franchise has been commercially successful, having grossed a combined $2.1 billion against a combined budget of $178 million, and is the highest-grossing horror franchise to date.
We believe it will all come down to box office numbers and if the numbers are good enough, Sony might think of turning this movie into another cinematic universe that might give us a lot of intriguing horror films.
We would love to see more of Father Amorth’s adventures on the big screen. Let’s see if Sony Pictures intends to do that or not.
Does the Pope’s Exorcist Feature a Post-Credits Scene?
There is no further footage after the credits roll in The Pope’s Exorcist.
After the on-screen text finishes detailing Father Amorth’s final years, the film ends. A franchise is not out of the question, as seen by a reference to “the James Bond of exorcists,” although there is no Marvel-style tease about the priest’s future exploits.
About The Pope’s Exorcist
The Pope’s Exorcist is a 2023 American supernatural horror film directed by Julius Avery, and starring Russell Crowe as Father Gabriele Amorth. It is based on Amorth’s memoirs An Exorcist Tells His Story and An Exorcist: More Stories.
In the film, Father Gabriele Amorth, chief exorcist for the Vatican, battles Satan and innocent-possessing demons. It is a detailed portrait of a priest who performed more than 100,000 exorcisms in his lifetime.
The film also stars Daniel Zovatto, Alex Essoe, and Franco Nero. It was released in the United States and Canada on April 14, 2023.
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