The Exorcist: Martyrs Trailer Reveals Scarlett Johansson as a Detective Hunting a Serial Killer

Scarlett Johansson investigates a terrifying series of crimes in the first trailer for The Exorcist: Martyrs, the new horror film written and directed by Mike Flanagan.

Released on Friday, 9 October, the trailer introduces Johansson as New York homicide detective Julie Miller, whose past investigation into a notorious serial killer returns to haunt her. The film is scheduled to arrive in cinemas on 12 March 2027, marking Flanagan's first entry into The Exorcist franchise.

Johansson's character previously apprehended a satanic serial killer known as Father Sunday, played by John Leguizamo. Thirteen years after the case made Julie a hero, a new murder investigation takes a disturbing turn when a killer writes her name in an altar boy's blood inside a church crypt, drawing her back into a world she thought she had left behind.

The investigation brings Julie together with Father William, a former prison chaplain played by Chiwetel Ejiofor, who heard Sunday's final confession. She also works alongside rookie detective Gina Restrepo, played by Sasha Calle, as the case begins to connect a succession of notorious killers and raises questions about whether the crimes have a supernatural explanation.

The supporting cast includes Diane Lane as Julie's mother, Jacobi Jupe as her son, and Rahul Kohli, Hamish Linklater, Carl Lumbly, Carla Gugino and Kate Siegel. Several of those performers have worked with Flanagan on previous horror projects, making the film another collaboration between the director and actors familiar with his approach to the genre.

Watch the trailer:

Flanagan has said he wants the film to tell a new story within the established Exorcist universe rather than remake the original 1973 classic. The trailer's emphasis on criminal investigation, religious imagery and the psychology of serial killers suggests a different route into the franchise, combining a police thriller with the supernatural horror that audiences expect from the series.

The film follows 2023's The Exorcist: Believer and represents a new attempt to expand the franchise with a distinct creative direction. With Johansson leading the cast and Flanagan behind the camera, The Exorcist: Martyrs is set to bring a new detective-led story to cinemas next year.