Wolf Creek director Greg McLean has his next film lined up, taking him from the outback to the ancient world. Deadline reports that McLean is set to direct The First Exorcist, a new biblical horror-thriller set to star Wolf Creek 2 alum Ryan Corr, alongside Dangerous Animals breakout star Josh Heuston.
Deadline describes the film as “The Witch meets The Passion of the Christ,” with McLean producing his return to horror alongside Mark Fennessy. The film’s synopsis is as follows:
The film will tell the story of Alexios, a pillar of his farming community, a beloved husband and father, whose mind and body are overtaken by a legion of demons. As his possession becomes more violent and fear grips the village, a young unknown preacher named Jesus, on the run from the Roman authorities, comes to town with a few followers. He and only he can confront this ancient evil, which is unlike anything he has faced before — the demonic force behind the Gerasene Demoniac. What follows is the world’s original exorcism: the Miracle of the Swine, a violent and transcendent supernatural showdown whose reverberations would change the course of human history.
“This is a unique and powerful tale of faith, but it is also the original horror event,” says McLean. “A legion of demons, a man beyond saving, and one encounter that changes everything. I approached the story with total respect for what it is, and total commitment to making audiences feel it in their bones. This is where it all begins.”
The biblical horror film is McLean’s first horror film since The Belko Experiment in 2016. He’s mostly been directing Australian television since, working on shows like Territory and Scrublands, with his last film effort being 2017’s Jungle starring Daniel Radcliffe.
“Greg brings a fearlessness to horror that’s genuinely rare, and this story deserves exactly that,” says Jonathan Kier of Upgrade, who will be selling the film. “We’re thrilled to be taking it to Cannes.”
No release date has been set for The First Exorcist. Stay tuned to FANGORIA for more updates.
