Airdate: The Exorcist

Foxtel has a Halloween announcement today confirming The Exorcist is coming to Showcase in December.

Created by Jeremy Slater (The Lazarus Effect, Fantastic Four), it stars Alfonso Herrera, Ben Daniels and Geena Davis. Sharon Gless also has a recurring role.

But the series loosely based on the William Peter Blatty novel and 1973 film of the same name has been held from its September debut in the US. Reviews have been generally favourable.

Based on the 1973 horror film, The Exorcist is a propulsive, psychological thriller series following two very different priests tackling one family’s case of horrifying demonic possession.

Father Tomas Ortega (Alfonso Herrera, Sense8, The Chosen) is the new face of the Catholic Church: progressive, ambitious and compassionate. He runs a small, but loyal, parish in the suburbs of Chicago. He has no idea his quiet life is about to change forever. Deep in the slums of Mexico City, another priest has found himself locked in a life-and-death struggle with evil. Father Marcus Keane (Ben Daniels, Flesh and Bone, House of Cards) is a modern-day Templar Knight, an orphan raised since childhood by the Vatican to wage war against its enemies. Father Marcus is everything Father Tomas is not: relentless, abrasive and utterly consumed by his mission – and he constantly butts heads with his adversary within the church, Father Bennett (Kurt Egyiawan, Beasts of No Nation).

Caught in the middle of the two priests is the Rance family, who are members of Tomas’ parish. On the surface, they’re a normal, American family, but all is not as it seems in this household. The patriarch, Henry Rance (Alan Ruck, Spin City, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off), is recovering from a traumatic injury. Eldest daughter Katherine (Brianne Howey, Scream Queens) has become a recluse who refuses to leave her room. Her younger sister Casey (Hannah Kasulka, The Fosters) thinks she’s hearing strange noises coming from inside the walls. And mother Angela (Academy Award® and Golden Globe® winner Geena Davis, Commander in Chief, Thelma & Louise) believes there is something in the house, a demonic presence, growing stronger by the day. Desperate, she begs Father Tomas for help, unwittingly setting the naïve young priest on a collision course with Father Marcus. Separately, each faces an insurmountable task, but together they become the Rances’ only hope against an evil force that has been mobilising for centuries.

The Exorcist is from Morgan Creek Productions in association with 20th Century Fox Television. The series was created by Jeremy Slater (Fantastic Four). The series is executive produced by Slater, Emmy® Award nominee Rolin Jones (Friday Night Lights, Weeds), Rupert Wyatt, Roy Lee (Hidden, Run All Night), James Robinson (Dream House), David Robinson (Dream House, The Good Shepherd) and Barbara Wall (Boss). Wyatt also served as director on the pilot. The Exorcist is distributed by 20th Century Fox Television Distribution.

8:30pm Sundays from December 4 on Showcase.