It seems like every big franchise these days has its share of big names spreading their wings and leaving the nest. Robert Downey Jr. has finished his time at Marvel while Tom Holland's own contract with the same company ends after his upcoming leading role in Spider-Man: No Way Home, and plenty of room is being made for new faces. But it's easy to forget that comic book movies aren't the only ones boasting substantial self-contained universes, and Halloween icon Jamie Lee Curtis has some ideas for the future that involve the Exorcist.
Curtis just made her grand return to the Halloween horror series with the newly-released Halloween Kills, and even though she still has at least one more film in the holster set to release next year, the veteran actress already has some ideas for branching out in the genre that many see as her home turf. Following a hugely successful career in the slasher movie world, it seems the Halloween star is ready to make the move to yet another high-profile franchise, at least if they're willing to cast her.
In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, Curtis discussed her history with horror and how she'd like to take part in the Exorcist franchise. "Maybe I should be the voice of the devil like Mercedes McCambridge," she said, referring to the original voice of the demon Pazuzu in the original 1973 film. "You see, if [director David Gordon Green] gives me a part in the new Exorcist trilogy as the voice of the devil, then it is a full-circle return for me, in a meta way. That would blow people's minds." It wouldn't even be that much of a stretch since Green directed Curtis in Halloween Kills and will also be in charge of the upcoming Exorcist sequel trilogy.
Curtis also went into detail regarding her history with The Exorcist. "I'm brave, but I am afraid of scary things," she said. "When I was 15, my parents screened The Exorcist and my friends teased me the next day because I was so freaked out. I loathe being scared by scary movies." This is particularly amusing considering Curtis' parents were actually big-name actors Janet Leigh and Tony Curtis. It's less surprising given Leigh's history with horror, particularly her role in Alfred Hitchcock's legendary Psycho. But Imagining The Great Race star Tony Curtis scaring his daughter with a horror movie is almost downright surreal in its hilarity.
Funnily enough, Green himself is aware of Curtis' wishes to jump franchises. "I'll have to get her to audition for that one," he excitedly said when told about her idea. "You know, she did the crying baby for the last Halloween movie, so she's a talented voice actor as well." So hey, looks like there are fewer and fewer reasons for this not to happen. Best of luck to them both, cause The Exorcist could definitely use another legendary name like her.
Although Curtis has more than made a name for herself over the years in countless other films from A Fish Called Wanda all the way to Rian Johnson's addictive Knives Out and beyond, her film acting debut in 1978's Halloween and a subsequent string of other horror flicks cemented her unofficial title as one of the most prominent scream queens in the business. Hopefully she gets what she's after, because she's one screen icon that would definitely bring audiences in to play.
Halloween Kills is now playing in theaters.
Source: Entertainment Weekly