Al Pacino and Dan Stevens are teaming up for a new exorcism horror based on a true story – and we’re all in.
Per Variety, The Ritual follows “two priests – one questioning his faith (Stevens) and one reckoning with a troubled past (Pacino) – who must put aside their differences to save a possessed young woman through a difficult and dangerous series of exorcisms.”
The film is an “authentic portrayal” of Emma Schmidt aka Anna Ecklund, an American woman whose alleged demonic possession lasted for decades until she was subjected to a five-month-long exorcism in 1928. The Anna Ecklund case has inspired a number of horror movies, though a film that focused directly on her case was not released until 2016.
David Midell (The Fare) directs from a script he penned with Enrico Natale (School Spirits). The cast includes Ben Foster, Ashley Greene, and Abigail Cowen.
Stevens can currently be seen in Abigail, directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, as well as Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire. He can be seen next in the psychological horror film Cuckoo where he terrorizes Euphoria star Hunter Schafer.
Pacino recently starred in the Michael Keaton-directed crime thriller Knox Goes Away, and stars alongside Gerard Butler and Oscar Isaac in the upcoming Italian-American drama film In the Hand of Dante.
The Ritual does not yet have a release date. For more, check out our list of the most exciting upcoming movies in 2024 and beyond, or, skip right to the good stuff with our list of movie release dates.
