(SciFi Wire) John Frankenheimer will direct the next installment in the Exorcist franchise, an as-yet-untitled prequel from Morgan Creek Productions, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Production will begin in the spring in the United States, England and Africa, the trade paper reported.

(The prequel will trace the story of Father Merrin back to his first encounter with the devil during missionary work in post-World War II Africa. William Wisher initially adapted the prequel for the big screen from William Peter Blatty's original The Exorcist novel. Best-selling author Caleb Carr rewrote the script, which then caught the interest of Frankenheimer, the trade paper reported.

(Warner Bros. will distribute the film domestically, while the studio and Morgan Creek International will distribute overseas. The first installment, released in 1973, has spawned two sequels--1977's Exorcist II: The Heretic and 1990's Exorcist III, the trade paper reported. Last year, Warner Brothers reissued the first film with recovered footage that was cut from the original release.

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