Scarlett Johansson Kneels Over a Fallen Body in a New ‘The Exorcist: Martyrs’ Look

Few horror franchises carry the weight of ‘The Exorcist‘. The original defined the possession genre, and every attempt to revive it since has faced impossible comparisons. That pressure is part of what makes ‘The Exorcist: Martyrs’ one of the most closely watched horror projects on the calendar.

Mike Flanagan, the filmmaker behind ‘Doctor Sleep’ and ‘Midnight Mass’, has spent months building anticipation with carefully released glimpses. Each reveal has leaned toward atmosphere and dread rather than spectacle. The latest piece of marketing continues that approach.

A new image from the film shows Scarlett Johansson crouched beside a man lying motionless on the floor of a church. Yellow police tape stretches behind them, stained-glass windows glow in the background, and an officer stands at the edge of the frame. Johansson’s character looks down at the body with a calm, searching expression, her hands clasped.

The photo fits the film’s established premise. It frames the story as a murder investigation first and a supernatural horror second, with the sacred setting adding an unsettling edge. The fallen man’s identity has not been revealed, and there is no official context for the scene.

New look at Scarlett Johansson in Mike Flanagan’s ‘THE EXORCIST: MARTYRS’ has been released. 📷 https://t.co/Y76K7y1qDY

— Cinethology (@thecinethology) October 31, 2026

Johansson plays Julie Miller, an NYPD homicide detective and single mother of a 12-year-old named Max. Thirteen years earlier, she took down a satanic serial killer known as Father Sunday, played by John Leguizamo. That case made her a hero, but reports say a new series of murders now ties back to her past, while her son becomes the target of a demonic force.

Jacobi Jupe plays Max, and Chiwetel Ejiofor is reported to play a former prison chaplain connected to the case. Laurence Fishburne, Diane Lane, Sasha Calle, Scoot McNairy and Gil Bellows round out the main cast. Flanagan regulars such as Kate Siegel, Carla Gugino and Rahul Kohli also appear.

Flanagan has been clear that this is not a retread of the 1973 classic. The film is a standalone story and does not continue ‘The Exorcist: Believer’, the 2023 release that failed to excite audiences. Reports say it will not use the famous “Tubular Bells” theme, and Flanagan has cited ‘The Exorcist III’ as an influence.

Early coverage describes the tone as a blend of serial-killer thriller and demonic horror. A first-look feature compared the mix to ‘Se7en’ and ‘The Silence of the Lambs’. Flanagan has said he wanted a new plotline with new characters that could stand on its own.

The stakes are high for Universal and Blumhouse. Universal paid a reported $400 million in 2021 for the franchise rights, and the plan at the time was a new trilogy. After ‘Believer’ underperformed, the follow-up ‘The Exorcist: Deceiver’ was pulled from the schedule when director David Gordon Green left the project.

Flanagan came on board in 2024 to reset the series. The film was originally dated for March 2026 before being removed from the calendar later that year. It now opens in theaters on March 12, 2027, and the production wrapped filming this summer after starting in March.

The campaign has moved quickly in recent weeks. The film’s title and a first trailer arrived around Blumhouse’s panel at New York Comic Con on October 9, after a short teaser and first-look images appeared earlier that week. The trailer introduces Johansson’s detective and the demonic homicide case at the center of the story.

The timing also overlapped with the arrival of Flanagan’s ‘Carrie’ series on Prime Video. That gave the filmmaker a busy few days, with 2 high-profile Stephen King and Blatty-adjacent horror projects landing almost back to back. It also helped keep his name at the center of the genre conversation.

First teaser for Mike Flanagan’s ‘THE EXORCIST: MARTYRS’, starring Scarlett Johansson. The film follows a detective who watches a serial killer’s execution – only for his murder spree to continue in demonic ways. Trailer releases on Friday. https://t.co/mRdGY8rigN

— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) October 7, 2026

Still images like this one do a lot of work in horror marketing. They suggest tone, location and stakes without revealing the scare. A church crime scene tells audiences that faith, violence and investigation will collide, which is exactly the territory the original film made famous.

It also shows Johansson in a grounded, procedural role. Her usual blockbuster persona is absent, replaced by a tired detective in an ordinary coat and sneakers. That contrast could be one of the film’s strengths if the final product lives up to the early promise.

With the release still months away, more promotional material is likely to arrive as spring approaches. Fans will be looking for clues about the killer, the exorcism itself and how closely the story ties into the franchise’s mythology. For now, the studio has shared only fragments.

Flanagan has built a loyal audience by delivering emotional, character-driven horror, and expectations are high. Whether that approach can revive a franchise with such a heavy legacy is the central question. This latest image suggests the film is at least taking the right kind of risk.

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