Linda Blair says she has not received any offers to appear in the upcoming $400 million reboot of "The Exorcist."
The actress stole the show in the original 1973 film in which she played devil-possessed teen Regan MacNeil, and although her co-star Ellen Burstyn, who played her mother in the movie, will reprise her role, Blair has been left out of the picture.
In a statement posted Monday on Twitter, Blair shared that, "as of now there has not been any discussions about me participating or reprising my role," adding that she wished "all those involved the best and I appreciate the loyalty and passion the fans have for The Exorcist and my character."
Speaking with the New York Post, Blair said that she had been notified about the reboot by the team behind the upcoming trilogy, but the conversation did not include any mention of a job offer.
"They were polite enough to call. We spoke about how amazing Ellen Burstyn is and that was as far as the conversation went," Blair said. "I have no idea what the project is about and I have not been engaged in a conversation of participation. It was just letting me know they were going to do the film."
As a result, Blair said that "everybody is up in arms right now," over her absence. This was evident on social media.
"How would they have the mother but not the child to whom the possession happened to? Like this doesn't make any sense," one Twitter user commented.
"How are they bringing Ellen back and not you? No offense to Ms. Burstyn but she is hardly right for reprising her role as a Mother of of a possessed “Child!” Maybe Grandchild but ahhhh," another added.
"I don't think they realize what they are up against. We will actively boycott if you are not Regan," a third threatened.
Commenting on the reboot, and her fans’ reactions, Blair admitted she was not sure if she would agree to make an appearance.
"Do I think they’ll reach back around and realize, 'Oops?' I have no idea, kiddo. I’m kind of not venturing down the road thinking about it," she said. "Let’s see what happens in a week. I think they’re about to be surprised. I don’t think they saw coming what the fans are doing right now — and I don’t blame the fans. To many fans, it’s about Regan’s survival and what she went through."
Blair added, "If they want to come back around about what should be done and what the fans want, that’s a different dialogue."
However, Blair said she did not think studio execs would.
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Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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