Overview
- Universal officially released the film’s first full trailer and poster on Oct. 9, 2026 after an earlier online leak, beginning a marketing push toward the March 12, 2027 theatrical release.
- Mike Flanagan wrote and directed Martyrs and presents it as a self-contained story inside The Exorcist universe rather than a sequel to 2023’s Believer.
- Scarlett Johansson stars as NYPD detective Julie Miller, who investigated and helped execute a satanic serial killer called Father Sunday and now faces new ritualistic murders that threaten her 12‑year‑old son.
- The film blends a homicide‑procedural with supernatural elements and will include an exorcism scene, but Flanagan says possession is treated as part of a larger serial‑killer mystery.
- Flanagan confirmed one notable stylistic choice that separates Martyrs from the original: the film does not use the franchise’s iconic 'Tubular Bells,' a move positioned to mark a fresh tonal direction after prior entries struggled with critics.