The Exorcist (film series) was refilmed by director Renny Harlin. However, Schrader's version received a limited release in 2005, after Harlin's, and was titled "". On January 22, 2016, 20th Century Fox Television announced they were developing a television series of "The Exorcist". It premiered on September 23, 2016. Based on the 1971 novel by William Peter Blatty, "The Exorcist" marries three scenarios into one plot. The film opens with Father Merrin (Max von Sydow) on an archaeological dig in Al-hadar, near Nineveh, in Iraq. He is alerted that a small carving is found in the dig, resembling a grimacing, bestial creature. After talking
The Exorcist announced that Blatty planned to direct a mini-series of "The Exorcist". In September 2015, Morgan Creek Productions announced it was selling its library of films, while retaining remake and sequel rights to key properties, including "The Exorcist". Rumors began circulating that the original film would be remade, which was denied by Morgan Creek. The success of "The Exorcist" inspired a string of possession-related films worldwide. The first was "Beyond the Door", a 1974 Italian film with Juliet Mills as a woman possessed by the devil. It appeared in the U.S. one year later. Also in 1974, a Turkish film, "Şeytan"