Summary

• Linda Blair says she will return in The Exorcist: Deceiver if fans help her in her mission to change the plight of animals.
• Blair is dedicated to ending pet overpopulation and finding homes for abandoned pets through her Linda Blair Worldheart Foundation.
• The Exorcist: Deceiver is the second part of David Gordon Green's new trilogy and is set to be released in 2025.

Linda Blair has addressed her condition for returning in The Exorcist: Deceiver. The 2025 movie will be a sequel to the 2022 legacy sequel Believer, which saw two new families fighting demonic possessions and featured the return of original characters Chris (Ellen Burstyn) and Regan MacNeil (Linda Blair). Chris was featured more prominently in the movie, having become an expert on possession who attempts to help desperate father Victor Fielding (Leslie Odom Jr.), while her estranged daughter Regan only appeared in a single scene for a heartfelt reunion.

The Exorcist: Deceiver. The actor detailed her condition for returning to the franchise, saying that anyone who wants her to appear needs "to help me to change the plight of the animals right now," referring to her work with the Linda Blair Worldheart Foundation fighting to end pet overpopulation and house abandoned and homeless pets, among other concerns. She hopes for understanding, saying that "I want to go back and work, but I won’t leave my animal friends." Read her full quote below:

If the audience wants me to come back, they need to help me to change the plight of the animals right now. I’m hoping the public will understand. I want to go back and work, but I won’t leave my animal friends.

Will The Exorcist: Deceiver Be a Legacy Sequel At All?

In a previous Linda Blair interview with Screen Rant, she expanded on her dedication to ending the plight of animals. In addition to shopping a "show for the dogs that is an athletic game," she has expressed that it's "difficult to find people that really understand animal welfare, and [can handle] the [constant] PTSD." Even if the public answers Blair's call and mobilizes to the Linda Blair Worldheart Foundation, it seems unlikely that the wide-ranging issues to which she is deeply dedicated will be resolved in time for her to appear in a robust role in The Exorcist: Deceiver.

This calls into question the movie's ability to be a legacy sequel at all. The Exorcist: Believer cast only featured two returning cast because the majority of the stars of the original 1973 movie have since ed away, including Jason Miller (Father Damien Karras), Max von Sydow (Father Lankester Merrin), and Lee J. Cobb (Lt. William F. Kinderman). Burstyn's return has already been called into question, as she was only contracted for a single movie, which she agreed to do in exchange for an acting scholarship program being established in her name.

A lack of returning characters may end up being part of the plan anyway, however, as The Exorcist: Deceiver is reportedly undergoing a creative overhaul after the previous movie turned out an unexpectedly lukewarm box office total. It's entirely possible that the Exorcist: Believer ending will be the last time Regan returns onscreen, at least for some time. However, it may be a comfort to know that Regan and her mother have patched up their in-universe relationship while the real-life Blair continues to dedicate her life to fighting for what she believes in.

About Linda Blair Worldheart Foundation

In 2006, the Linda Blair Worldheart Foundation rescue dog wellness center was founded as a direct outcome of the successful rescue efforts conducted in Los Angeles, coupled with the additional 51 rescues from Hurricane Katrina. Throughout the course of the past 17 years, Linda has honed her expertise in canine behavior and rehabilitation at her LBWF rescue dog wellness center. Her unwavering ion lies in ending pet overpopulation and finding forever homes for as many abandoned and homeless pets as possible, as well as providing affordable and nutritious feeding programs for dogs, with the primary objective of combating canine cancer and promoting canine longevity. Her dedication and contributions in this domain have been widely acknowledged.

Currently, Linda is focused on finding solutions to the ever-worsening crisis companion animals are facing in California and across the country. Pet overpopulation, alarmingly high euthanasia rates, and a lack of vet care are all issues Linda is focused on with the hope of changing the course of history for companion animals.

Source: EW