Filmmaker Mike Flanagan has begun shooting for his upcoming film, The Exorcist, a reboot movie billed as a “radical new take” on the 1973 classic, he announced on Thursday.

Sharing a picture of a clapperboard from the sets of the film on Instagram, Flanagan wrote, “Day 1… here we go. #theexorcist.”

The upcoming film is set in the same universe as the 1973 classic and is not related to the subsequent sequels.

The film stars Scarlett Johansson, Diane Lane, Jacobi Jupe, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Laurence Fishburne, Sasha Calle, John Leguizamo, Rahul Kohli, Hamish Linklater, Gil Bellows, Carl Lumbly, John Gallagher Jr., Benjamin Pajak, Carla Gugino, Robert Longstreet, Matt Biedel, Samantha Sloyan and Kate Siegel.

As per media reports, Scarlett Johansson is set to play a mother and Jacobi Jupe will portray her son. John Leguizamo might essay the role of a villain in the film.

Serving as the seventh instalment in the film franchise, The Exorcist is written and directed by Flanagan, known for Netflix hits like The Haunting of Hill House and Midnight Mass.

The filmmaker is also renowned for the critically-acclaimed Stephen King adaptation of Gerald’s Game. What clicks with horror buffs is his utilisation of atmospheric dread and trauma over the usual jump scares.

“Scarlett is a brilliant actress whose captivating performances always feel grounded and real, from genre films to summer blockbusters, and I couldn’t be happier to have her join this Exorcist film,” Flanagan said in a statement.

Jason Blum is backing the film via Blumhouse Productions and Atomic Monster, David Robinson through Morgan Creek Entertainment and Flanagan through his Red Room Pictures banner.

Flanagan’s goal, however, is not to remake the “scariest movie ever made”, he said at New York Comic Con 2024.

“You have to do something new, but not try to replace it. My only goal isn’t to remake the scariest movie ever made. My goal is to make the scariest movie I’ve ever made,” he said at the event.